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»»ii'y«>an- 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


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Atberiypr :    f-orhtu   '.*«. 


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Life  and  Memoirs 


WILLIAM  WARREN 


BOSTON'S  Favorite  Comedian. 


WITH   A   hULL  ACCOUNT  OF   HIS 


Golden  Jubilee. 


Fifty  Years  of  an  Actor's  Life. 


Published  by  JAMES  DALY,  155  Franklin  Street. 


SATURDAY,  OCTOBER  28.  1882, 

in  celebration  of  the 

50th  ANNIVERSARY 

of  the  adoption  of  the  stage  by 

MR.  WILLIAM  WARREN. 

Two  Grand  Performances ! 

AFTERXOOX  PERFORMANCE   AT  2. 


Dr.  Pangloss, 
Dick  Dowlas, 
Daniel  Dowlas,     . 
Zekiel  Homespun, 
Mr.  Steadfast, 
Henry  Moreland, 
Kenrick,    . 
John,   . 
Waiter  at  "  Blue  Boar," 
Waiter  at  Hotel, 
Cicely  Homespun, 
Deborah  Dowlas, 
Caroline  Dormer, 


Mr.  Wh.liam  Warren 

Mr.  Charles  Barron 

Mr.  Alfred  Hudson 

Mr.  Geo.  W.  Wilson 

Mr.  Ja.mes  Burrows 

Mr.  J.  B.  Mason 

Mr.  James  Nolan 

Mr.  Fred  P.  Ham 

Mr.  J.  S.  Maffitt,  Jr. 

Mr.  A.  R.  Whytal 

Miss  Annie  Clarke 

Mrs.  J.  R.  Vincent 

Miss  NoRAH  Bartlett 


JKT- EVENING  PERFORMANCE  AT  7  3-4. 


Sir  Peter  Teazle, 

Charles  Surface, 

Joseph  Surface, 

Sir  Oliver  Surface, 

Sir  Benjamin  Backbite, 

Crabtree,  . 

Moses, 

Careless  (with  song) , 

Rowley, 

Trip, 

Sir  Tobey, 

Snake, 

Sir  Harry  Bumper, 

Servant  to  Lady  Sneerwell, 

Servant  to  Joseph  Surface, 

Lady  Teazel. 

Mrs.  Candour, 

Maria, 

Lady  Sneerwell, 


Mr.  William  Warren 

Mr.  Charles  Barron 

Mr.  Geo.  R.  Parks 

Mr.  Alfred  Hudson 

Mr.  J.  B.  Mason 

Mr,  Geo.  W.   Wilson 

Mr.  Wm.  Sey.mour 

Mr.  Geo.  C.  Boniface,  Jr. 

Mr.  J.  Burrows 

Mr.  J.  Nolan 

Mr.  James  R.  Pitman 

Mr.  Fred  P.  Ham 

,    Mr.  J.  S.  Maffitt,  Jr. 

Mr.  Geo.  H.  Cohill 

Mr.  A.  R.  Whytal 

Miss  Annie  Clarke 

Mrs.  J.  R.  Vincent 

Miss  NoRAH  Bartlett 

Miss  Kate  Ryan 


vy^..- 


■f 


GOLDEN    JUBILEE 


OF 


WILLIAM    WARREN. 


"  A  fellow  of  infinite  jest, 
Of  most  excellent  fancy." 

''  Take  him  for  all  in  all, 
We  shall  not  look  upon  his  like  again." 

FIFTY  YE.-VRS  AN  ACTOR !  And  today,  Warren,  in  the 
enjoyment  of  almost  perfect  health,  with  memory  and 
apprehension  as  keen  and  quick  as  when  he  first  made  his 
bow  behind  the  footlights  so  long  ago,  still  enjoys  the  most 
honorable  pre-eminence  in  his  profession.  The  great  come- 
dian in  his  dramatic  creations  today  upon  the  Museum  stage 
gives  evidence  that  he  is  in  the  plentitude  of-  his  artistic  power, 
and  offers  the  promise  of  yet  a  long  career  of  histrionic  triumphs 
in  his  own  loved  Boston. 

The  esteem  in  which  Mr.  Warren  is  held  by  our  best  citizens 
was  shown  in  the  letter  he  received  not  long  since  from  Mr. 
Thomas  S.  Appleton  and  Mr.  Nathan  Appleton,  the  brother-in- 
law  of  Mr.  Longfellow,  Governor  Long  and  others,  requesting 
him  to  sit  for  his  picture  and  to  accept  of  a  complimentary  benefit. 
The  actor  could  not  refuse  so  heartfelt  a  tribute  to  his  genius  as 
an  actor  and  his  worth  as  a  citizen.  lie  named  October  2Sth, 
1882,  as  the  date  when  he  would  be  pleased  to  accept  the  ben- 
efit, and  expressed  his  willingness  to  give  sittings  to  Mr.  Fred. 
P.  Vinton.    The  picture  is  now  completed  and  is  one  of  the 


i^id7:iB 


Fiftieth   Anniversary. 


artist's  best  efforts.  It  is  a  full-length  oil  painting,  and  repre- 
sents the  subject  in  his  every-day  dress.  A  desire  was  expressed 
at  first  to  have  Mr.  Warren  painted  as  Sir  Peter  Teazle,  or  in 
some  other  character  in  which  he  won  his  celebrity;  but  better 
counsels  at  length  prevailed,  and  our  respected  comedian  will 
go  down  to  posterity  in  the  habit  in  which  he  was  best  loved  by 
the  Bostonians  of  his  day  —  that  of  a  modest,  unassuming  gentle- 
man. A  better  artistic  effect  might  be  produced  by  the  use  of 
a  more  brilliant  costume;  but  we  want  William  Warren  the  man, 
not  the  actor.  Not,  however,  that  we  love  the  player  less,  but 
that  we  love  the  man  more. 

And  speaking  of  Mr.  Warren  as  an  actor,  what  an  incompar- 
able artist  he  is !  He  has  all  the  finish  of  the  French  school, 
with  the  feeling  that  is  apt  to  be  lost  in  academic  training.  His 
playing  is  made  up  of  delicate  touches.  His  versatility  is  sur- 
prising. In  broad  farce  none  have  surpassed  him  in  this 
country.  What  happy  nights  we  have  spent  in  seeing  him  in 
innumerable  pieces  by  J.  Madison  Morton  !  There  are  scores, 
too,  of  afterpieces  by  other  authors  in  which  he  is  equally 
happy,  an  J  in  English  comedy  where  shall  we  find  his  superior? 
In  the  comedies  of  Goldsmith,  of  Sheridan  and  of  Boucicault, 
his  dramatic  portraits  are  never  to  be  forgotten,  and  he  has  the 
true  comedian's  art  of  blending  pathos  and  humor  with  that 
touch  of  nature  which  makes  the  whole  world  kin.  He  is  not 
a  one-part  actor,  but  a  cultured  artist,  who  is  great  in  some 
parts  and  good  in  all  that  he  attempts.  A  sense  of  reserved 
power  dignifies  his  every  effort,  and  he  avoids  the  mountebank's 
tricks  as  carefully  as  if  they  were  plague-spots,  as  indeed  they 
are  in  the  performances  of  the  many  later-day  comedians. 

The  close  of  the  present  theatrical  season  brings  with  it,  with 
the  bare  exception  of  a  single  season,  the  thirty-sixth  continu- 
ous year  of  the  connection  of  the  gentleman  whose  name 
stands  at  the  head  of  this  article,  with  the  Boston  Museum. 


Fiftieth   Anniversary. 


And  this,  we  dare  say,  is  a  longer  connection  with  one  theatrical 
establishment  than  ever  has  been  enjoyed  by  any  one  actor  in 
the  whole  history  of  the  stage.  It  is  a  proud  reflection,  and 
should  be  an  enduring  monument  to  the  memory  of  the  actor, 
that  that  community,  in  so  long  honoring  him,  has  been  none 
the  less  honored  by  him.  It  is  a  question  if  ever  such  a 
dramatic  favorite  was  known  in  our  city  as  William  Warren. 
But  it  is  not  alone  as  the  actor  that  Mr.  Wairen  is  respected, 
or  that,  long  after  he  ceases  to  be  a  thing  of  life,  his 
memory  will  be  cherished  by  young  and  old.  He  will  be  held 
in  kindly  remembrance  by  every  one  whose  good  fortune  it  was 
ever  to  have  been  associated  with  him,  for  his  scholarly  attain- 
ments, his  good  citizenship,  his  social  qualities,  which  are  so 
endearing,  and  the  blamelessness  of  his  gentle  life.  No  person 
ever  connected  with  the  stage  has  won  more  honors  than  Mr- 
Warren,  and  of  a  verity  no  one  has  worn  those  honors  with  a 
more  becoming  modesty. 

So  far  as  Mr.  Warren's  immediate  family  is  concerned,  he  is 
of  the  second  generation  of  actors,  and,  besides  himself,  four  of 
his  sisters  have  been  prominent  before  the  public :  Hester,  born 
in  1810,  whose  tirst  husband  was  a  musician,  by  the  name  of 
Willis,  from  whom  she  was  separated,  and  afterwards  became 
the  wife  of  Joseph  Proctor.  She  died  in  Boston,  on  the  7th  of 
December,  1841,  from  a  cold  caught  while  performing  in  the 
"  Naiad  Queen,"  at  the  National  Theatre,  under  the  manage- 
ment of  William  Pelby.  Anna,  born  in  1815,  who  married 
Danford  Marble,  the  famous  Yankee  comedian,  in  1836,  and 
died  in  Cincinnati  on  the  nth  of  March,  1872.  Emma,  who 
had  for  her  first  husband  a  Mr.  Price,  and  was  subsequently 
married  to  D.  Ilanchet,  with  whom  and  her  daughter  Lizzie 
Price,  she  may  be  remembered  as  forming  a  part  of  Edward  L. 
Davenport's  company  at  the  Howard  Atlien^eum,  in  the  season 
of  '59-'6o,  and  who  died  in  New  York,  in   May,  1S79.     Mary 


Fiftieth   Anniversary. 


Ann,  who  married  John  B.  Rice,  an  actor,  who  afterwards  be- 
came Mayor  of  Chicago,  and  if  our  memory  does  not  play 
treacherously  with  us,  was  sometime  a  member  of  Congress 
from  that  city.  Mrs.  Rice  is  a  widow  and  is  still  living.  Henry, 
an  elder  brother,  was  for  years  engaged  in  management  in  vari- 
ous cities  in  New  York  State,  and  at  other  places,  but  we  are 
not  sure  as  to  whether  or  no  he  ever  appeared  as  an  actor. 


WILLIAM    WARREN   THE  JELDER, 

the  father  of  the  subject  of  our  sketch,  was  in  his  day  an  actor 
of  great  note.  He  was  born  in  Bath,  in  England,  on  the  loth 
of  May,  1767.  He  was  the  son  of  a  well-to-do  cabinet  maker, 
and  it  was  intended  that  he  should  follow  in  the  footsteps  of 
his  sire;  but  another  destiny  was  in  store  for  him.  He  early 
evinced  a  love  for  the  drama,  and  that  love  had  every  oppor- 
tunity of  being  fostered,  for  in  those  days  Bath,  perhaps  above 
all  other  English  cities  and  towns  outside  of  Lpndon,  was  privi- 
leged to  see  the  finest  acting  by  the  best  actors  and  actresses  of 
the  realm.  His  love  for  the  stage  grew  to  a  passion,  so  much 
so  that,  unheeding  parental  desires  and  admonitions,  in  his 
seventeenth  year,  in  the  town  of  Chippingham  or  Chipping- 
Norton,  some  seven  miles  from  the  place  of  his  nativity,  he 
made  his  first  appearance  as  Young  Norval,  the  hero  of  John 
Home's  now  seldom-seen  tragedy  of  "  Douglas."  He  soon 
achieved  a  reputation  as  a  sterling  comedian,  and  in  due  course 
of  time  came  to  this  country  in  the  same  ship  with  the  famous 
actress  Anne  Crunton.  He  arrived  in  New  York  in  1796,  and 
his  first  engagement  was  played  in  Baltimore.  On  the  5th  of 
November  the  same  year  he  opened  at  the  Chestnut-street 
Theatre,  Philadelphia,  as  Friar  Laurence  in  "  Romeo  and 
Juliet,"  and  as  the  years  passed  on  he  succeeded  to  the  lessee- 
ship  and  management  of  the  establishment.  Philadelphia  was 
icade  his  permanent  home,  but  his  decease  occurred  in  Balti- 


Fiftieth    Anniversary. 


more,  October  19th,  1832.  He  had  taken  for  his  second  wife, 
August  15th,  1806,  Mrs.  Merry  (nee  Anne  Brunton),  who  died 
in  child-bed  in  Alexandria,  Va.,  on  the  2Sth  of  June,  1808. 
Some  time  after  he  took  for  his  third  wife  a  lady  of  New  York, 
Miss  Esther  Fortune  (whose  elder  sister  had  been  married  to 
the  grandfather  of  the  comedian  Joseph  Jefferson),  and  this 
lady,  on  the  17th  of  November,  1812,  gave  birth  to  our  inimit- 
able actor, 

WILLIAM  WARREN  THE  YOUNGER, 

at  No.  12,  now  712,  Sanson  Street,  Philadelphia.  Young  War- 
ren received  an  excellent  education,  and  it  was  intended  by  his 
father  that  he  should  be  brought  up  to  mercantile  pursuits,  and 
in  that  calling  he  might  have  remained  to  the  close  of  his  life, 
pursuing  an  honorable  career,  had  not  the  straitened  circum- 
stances in  which  his  mother  and  her  children  were  placed  by 
the  misfortunes  and  death  of  his  father,  led  him  to  adopt  the 
stage  as  a  permanent  profession.  A  benefit  was  given  to  his 
mother  at  the  Arch-street  Theatre,  on  the  27th  of  October, 
1832,  and  on  this  occasion  he  made 


HIS   FIRST  APPEARANCE 

on  the  stage,  as  Young  Norval,  Junius  Brutus  Booth  being  an- 
nounced to  enact  the  part  of  Old  Norval.  Forty-eight  years 
previously  his  father  had  made  his  opening  in  the  self-same 
part.  This  might  have  been  an  intentional  coincidence.  From 
all  we  can  glean,  young  Warren,  who  was  then  verging  on  the 
completion  of  his  twentieth  year,  made  a  thorough  and  une- 
quivocal success,  not  alone  in  the  eyes  of  partial  friends,  but  in 
the  estimation  of  competent  critics.  This  success  determined 
him  as  to  his  future  career;  and  so  the  peaceful  pursuits  of 
trade  were  abandoned  for  the  more  exciting  and  certainly 
more  exacting  life  of  an  actor.      For  a  few  years   Mr.    War- 


8 


Fiftieth   Anniversary. 


ren  was  engaged  in  the  theatres  in  and  around  Philadelphia 
and  in  the  West,  steadily,  persistently,  but  surely  carving 
out  his  way  to  eminence.  He  was  diligent  in  his  studies, 
and  invariably  chaste  and  correct  in  whatever  part  was 
assigned  him.  His  debut  was  made  in  a  juvenile  tragedy  part, 
but  he  soon  developed  into  a  most  accomplished  comedian. 
He  became  a  member  of  the  company  of  which  the  father  of 
our  Joseph  Jefferson  was  the  head,  and  which  travelled  through 
the  then  remote  regions  of  the  West,  acting  in  log  houses, 
rudely  constructed  court  houses,  in  fact  wherever  a  place  in  any 
way  suitable  could  be  found,  and  on  one  occasion  appearing  in 
a  huge  pork-packing  establishment.  Jefferson  was  the  scene- 
painter  as  well  as  the  manager,  and  so  the  establishment  could 
boast  of  a  good  set  of  scenery,  small  in  size,  but  quite  effective, 
and  an  excellent  wardrobe.  The  list  of  plays  included  such 
standard  pieces  as  "  Richard  the  Third,"  "  Hamlet,"  "  The  Lady 
of  Lyons,"  then  in  its  infancy,  a  number  of  old  comedies,  and 
innumerable  farces.  All  kinds  of  "  business  "  fell  to  Warren's 
lot,  and  he  touched  everything,  from  light  comedy  and  juvenile 
parts,  to  the  broadest  low  comedy.  The  company  in  point  of 
numbers  was  a  limited  one,  and  when  such  a  full  play  as  "  Rich- 
ard the  Third  "  was  put  up,  "  doubles  "  were  as  a  matter  of 
course  a  necessity.  On  such  an  occasion  Mr.  Warren  would 
play  Richmond  in  the  fifth  act,  and  in  the  earlier  portions  of 
the  tragedy  would  sustain  three  or  four  other  parts.  There  was 
much  hardship  experienced,  especially  in  the  winter  seasons, 
and  much  privation  encountered  in  travelling  in  those  then 
sparsely  settled  regions;  but  money  was  made,  and  youth  was  at 
the  prow  and  pleasure  at  the  helm.  The  work,  moreover,  was 
of  the  greatest  benefit  to  young  Warren,  and  by  it  he  was  gain- 
ing a  large  experience,  and  laying  the  foundations  of  an  after 
greatness. 

His  fame  now  began  to  spread,  and  during  the  season  of 


Fiftieth   Anniversary. 


1841  he  was  engaged  for  New  York,  and  made  his  appearance 
at  the  Old  Park  Theatre  as  Gregory  Grizzle  in  Benjamin  Web- 
ster's farce  of  "  My  Young  Wife  and  Old  Umbrella,"  in  which 
he  made  "  a  palpable  hit,"  and  at  once  established  himself  in 
the  good  favor  of  his  audience.  From  New  York  he  accepted 
an  engagement  in  Buffalo  at  Rice's  Eagle  Theatre,  and  in  this 
and  in  other  cities  of  the  State  of  New  York  he  remained  until 

1845,  ^'i^^  broadening  his  capacities  as  an  artist,  adding  materi- 
ally to  the  number  and  value  of  his  parts,  and  gaining  distinc- 
tion on  all  hands.     In  this  latter  year  Mr.  Warren  made 

A   BRIEF  VISIT  TO   ENGLAND, 

and  while  in  that  country  made  a  single  appearance  at  the 
Strand  Theatre  in  London,  the  occasion  being  the  benefit  of 
Mrs.  Coleman  Pope.  He  enacted  the  part  of  Con  Gormley  in 
Logan's  farce  of  "  The  Vermonter,"  with,  we  imagine,  his 
brother-in-law,  Danford  Marble,  in  his  original  part  of  Deuter- 
onomy Dutiful.  While  abroad  (his  tour  bein^  one  of  pleasure 
rather  than  of  business)  Mr.  Warren  visited  the  most  noted 
places  in  England,  paying,  as  a  matter  of  CDjrsc,  his  devotions 
at  the  shrine  of  Stratford-upon-Avon;  am!  he  also  made  a 
brief  trip  to  Paris  and  the  Continent.     Returnmg  to  America  in 

1846,  he  was  engaged  by  Messrs. «Iiackett  &  Ford,  the  lessees 
of  the  new  and  present  Howard  Athenaeum,  built  on  the  site  of 
the  old  Millerite  Tabernacle,  which  had  been  converted  into 
a  theatre,  and  which  was  destroyed  by  lire  after  the  close  of  the 
performance  (it  was  for  the  benefit  of  A.  J.  Phillips —  the  play 
was  "  Pizzaro,"  with  the  celebrated  teacher  of  boxing,  John 
Sheridan,  as  Rolla),  on  February  25th,  1846.  The  corner-stone 
of  the  new  theatre  was  laid  on  the  following  4th  of  July,  when 
an  address  was  delivered  by  Col.  Isaac  Hull  Wright,  now  one 
of  our  Street  Commissioners.  The  mason  work,  including  the 
elaborate  granite  front,  was  completed  in  the  brief  space  of 


lO 


Fiftieth   Anniversary. 


thirty-two  days,  and  in  three  months  from  the  time  of  the  laying 
of  the  corner-stone  the  theatre  was  ready  for  the  opening, 
which  took  place  on  the  5th  of  October,  1846.  The  perform- 
ance consisted  of  an  opening  address  delivered  by  George 
Vandenhoff,  Sheridan's  comedy,  "  The  Rivals,"  and  the  musical 
burletta,  "  The  Chaste  Salute." 


MR.   WARREN   MADE   HIS   BOW 

in  the  comedy,  the  cast  of  which  we  give : 

Sir  Anthony  Absolute 
Captain  Absolute 
Sir  Lucius  O'Trigger 
Bob  Acres 
Falkland 


Fag      . 

David 

Lydia  Languish 

Julia     . 

Mrs.  Malaprop 

Lucy    . 

Maid   . 


W.  H.  Chippendale 

J.  H.  Hall 

.  William  Warren 

.      W.  H.  Crisp 

.    W.  L.  Ayling 

J.  J.  Bradshaw 

Charles  H.  Saunders 

.     Miss  Mary  Taylor 

Miss  Maywood 

Mrs.  Martha  Maywood 

Miss  Hildreth 

Mrs.  Stone 


It  is  related  with  regard  to  this  appearance  that  the  part  of 
Bob  Acres,  "  Fighting  Bob,"  belonged  by  right  to  Mr.  Warren, 
and  in  accordance  with  the  terns  of  his  engagement;  but 
Crisp,  the  leading  man,  who  was  originally  cast  for  Sir  Lucius 
O'Trigger,  expressed  a  desire  to  change  parts  with  Mr.  Warren. 
The  latter,  in  the  kindness  of  his  disposition,  yielded,  and  so 
the  comedy  was  presented  as  above.  Of  this  cast  we  feel  safe 
in  saying  that,  with  the  single  exception  of  Mr.  Chippendale  — 
"  Old  Chip,"  who  is  still  living  in  London  —  Mr.  Warren  is  the 
sole  survivor.  Mr.  Warren's  success  was  instantaneous,  and 
Mr.  William  W.  Clapp  in  his  "  Record  of  the  Boston  Stage  " 


Fiftieth   Anniversary. 


11 


says :  "  No  actor  ever  won  the  approbation  of  a  Boston  audi- 
ence more  rapidly  than  Mr.  Warren."  The  dramatic  season 
proper  continued  until  the  27th  of  February,  1847,  a  period  of 
about  twenty  weeks,  and  during  that  time  we  find  Mr.  Warren 
sustaining,  among  others,  such  greatly  diversified  parts,  and 
giving  us  thereby  a  foretaste  of 


HIS  WONDROUS  VERSATILITY, 
as  Sam  in  "  Raising  the  Wind;"  Gregory  Grizzle;  the  Gravedig- 
ger  in  "  Hamlet;"  Jack  Spraggs  in  "  Look  Before  You  Leap;" 
Peter  in  "  Romeo  and  Juliet;"  Dogberry  in  "  Much  Ado  About 
Nothing;"  the  Mock  Duke  in  "The  Honeymoon;"  Fathom  in 
"The  Hunchback;"  Grumio  in  "  Katherine  and  Petruchio;" 
Hector  Timid  in  "The  Dead  Shot;"  Jack  in  "Turning  the 
Tables;"  Marrall  in  "  A  New  Way  to  Pay  Old  Debts"  —  Junius 
Brutus  Booth  as  Sir  Giles  Overreach;  Launcelot  Gobbo  in  "The 
Merchant  of  Venice;"  Jacques  Strop  in  "Robert  Macaire;" 
Major  Sturgeon  in  "The  Mayor  of  Garratt;"  Dandle  Dinmont 
in  "Guy  Mannering;"  Sir  Ilarcourt  Courtley,  for  the  first  time 
in  this  city,  for  t^e  benefit  of  W.  H.  Crisp;  Puggs  in  "  Shock- 
ing Events;"  Jerry  Ominous  in  "A  Thumping  Legacy;"  Crequet 
in  "The  Devil  in  Paris;"  Marquis  de  Rotundo  in  "Don  Caesar 
de  Bazan;"  Sam  in  "  Perfection,  or  the  Maid  of  Munster;" 
Tom  Tape  in  "  Sketches  in  India;"  Selim  Pettibone  in  "  A  Kiss 
in  the  Dark,"  and  Sam  Hobbs  in  "  A  Nabob  for  an  Hour." 
His  first  benefit  in  this  city  took  place  on  the  evening  of  the 
22d  of  February,  1847,  when  he  appeared  in  the  three 
farces  of  "A  Kiss  in  the  Dark,"  "  Shocking  Events,"  and  "  A 
Cabinet  Question,"  and  on  this  occasion  he  had  the  aid  of  the 
celebrated  troupe  of  Viennese  Children.  The  "Transcript,"  in 
announcing  this  event,  spoke  of  the  beneficiary  as  "the  best 
comic  actor  in  the  country."  His  house,  as  might  be  expected 
was  an   overwhelming  one.     Throughout  this  brief  season  the 


12 


Fiftieth   Anniversary. 


press  had  nought  but  kindly  notices  for  Mr.  Warren,  and  if  they 
were  not  so  elaborate  and  so  searching  as  are  the  dramatic  criti- 
cisms of  the  present  day,  were  nevertheless  just  as  heartfelt. 
On  the  second  night  of  the  season  "  Hamlet "  was  produced, 
with  George  Vandenhoff  as  The  Dane,  and  the  subject  of  our 
sketch  as  the  First  Gravedigger.  Mr.  Warren  cut  aloof  from 
a  portion  of  the  stock  "  business,"  and  indulged  in  an  innova- 
tion, which  a  few  days  afterwards  was  thus  humorously  alluded 
to  in  the  columns  of  the  "  Post"  : 

"  Degeneracy  of  the  Drama.  — The  Gravedigger  in  *  Hamlet ' 
was  played  at  the  Howard  the  other  night  with  only  one  waist- 
coat." 

The  "  Transcript,"  evidently  not  appreciating  the  fun  of  the 
"  Post,"  made  comment  as  follows :  — 

"  It  has  been  the  custom,  from  time  immemorial,  for  the  man 
who  plays  the  Gravedigger  (the  low  comedy  man  of  every 
theatrical  company),  previous  to  entering  upon  the  duties  of  his 
office,  to  divest  himself  of  an  almost  illimitable  number  of  waist- 
coats. Now  whence  this  custom  sprung,  we  know  not,  but 
although  it  may  gratify  the  groundlings,  it  cannot  but  make  the 
judicious  grieve,  for  we  very  much  doubt  if  the  Gravedigger  of 
Shakespeare  was  '  to  the  manner  born.'  " 

This  innovation  we  look  upon  as  a  strong  point  in  Mr. 
Warren's  favor,  for  it  shows  that  even  in  that  day  he  would  not 
descend  to  buffoonery,  would  not  "  o'erstep  the  modesty  of 
nature"  for  the  sake  of  creating  a  laugh.  All  honor  to  him  for 
it.  We  find  set  down  in  the  life  of  Edwin  Booth,  by  his  sister, 
Mrs.  Asia  Booth  Clarke,  published  by  James  R.  Osgood  &  Co., 
this  statement,  p.  121 :  "  Edwin  began  to  travel  with  his  father 
on  one  of  those  periodical  tours  which  it  was  customary  for  him 
to  make,  and  relates,  as  among  the  earhest  of  his  theatrical 
reminiscences,  the  first  appearance  in  Boston  of  the  now 
famous  William  Warren.     Mr.  Booth,  after  his  performance  of 


Fiftieth   Anniversary. 


13 


Shylock  at  the  Howard  AthencEum,  seated  himself  with  Edwin 
among  the  audience  to  witness  Mr.  Warren's  acting  of  Jacques 
Strop  in  the  play  of  '  Robert  Macaire.'  It  was  an  exceptional 
thing  for  him  to  make  one  of  the  auditory,  but  the  debutant  was 
a  favorite  of  his;  he  always  manifested  great  interest  in  his 
career,  and  seemed  to  be  thoroughly  pleased  with  his  per- 
formance on  that  evening."  Now  it  will  be  seen  by  the  record 
above  that  Mr.  Warren  did  7ioi  enact  Jacques  Strop  on  his  first 
appearance  in  Boston,  and  that  the  elder  Booth  was  not  acting 
in  this  city  at  that  time.  Booth  began  his  engagement  at  the 
Howard  on  the  evening  of  Monday,  November  23d,  appearing 
in  his  stock  opening  piece,  "  Richard  the  Third."  On  Friday, 
the  27th,  Booth  appeared  as  Shylock,  and  the  afterpiece  on  that 
night  was  "  Robert  Macaire,"  although  it  had  been  presented 
for  the  first  time  the  night  previous.  This  must  have  been  the 
performance  to  which  Mrs.  Clarke  refers,  rather  than  to  the 
debut  of  Mr.  Warren  in  this  city. 

Mr.  Charles  W.  Hunt,  a  most  excellent  actor,  had  held  the 
position  of  leading  comedian  at  the  Museum  for  one  or  two 
seasons,  but  owing  to  some  misunderstanding  left  the  establish- 
ment. Mr.  Warren  was  engaged  to  fill  the  gap.  We  well 
remember  the  consternation  of  the  frequenters  of  the  Museum 
at  the  time.  "  Warren  will  never  do,"  was  the  cry  on  all  hands. 
"  No  man  can  be  found  to  fill  Hunt's  shoes,  and  the  Museum 
■will  be  sure  to  fail,"  said  many  others.  Well,  the  opening  of 
the  fifth  season,  the  night  of  the  23d  of  August,  1S47,  arrived, 
and  the  curtain  arose  on  Pocock's  fine  old  comedy  "  Sweet- 
hearts and  Wives,"  which  was  presented  with  a  cast  which  we 
give  in  full,  because  it  marks  the  commencement  of  another 
and  the  greatest  era  in  Mr.  Warren's  life :  — 


14  Fiftieth   Anniversary. 

Admiral  Franklin W.  H.  Curtis 

Charles  Franklin      ......  L.  Mestayer 

Sanford  (his  first  appearance)  .         .         ,  J.  A.  Smith 

Mr.  Curtis Mr.  Bernard 

Billy  Lackaday  (his  first  appearance)       .      William  Warren 
William    .........      T.  Joyce 

George -J-  Adams 

Eugenia Mrs.  A.  Knight 

Laura Mrs.  J.  W.  Thoman 

Mrs.  Bell Mrs.  Melville 

Susan       ........  Mrs.  C.  L.  Stone 

Of  this  cast,  outside  of  Mr.  Joseph  Alfred  Smith  (one  of  the 
best  fops,  and  assuredly  the  best  dresser  —  neat,  tasteful  and 
correct  —  that  we  ever  remember  to  have  seen)  and  Mr.  War- 
ren's cousin,  Mrs.  Jacob  W.  Thoman  (now  Mrs.  Saunders  of 
California),  there  is  not  one  left  to  tell  the  tale.  William  H. 
Curtis,  a  very  fair  but  always  a  perfectly  reliable  actor,  died  here 
in  Boston  some  years  since;  Joseph  Louis  Mestayer  died  in  New 
York  within  a  year  or  two;  Bernard  has  also  joined  "  the  great 
majority."  After  his  connection  with  the  Museum  ceased,  he 
went  to  New  York,  was  instrumental  in  getting  up  the  American 
Dramatic  Fund  Association,  and  was  for  years  its  secretary ; 
Thomas  Joyce,  capital  in  certain  peculiarly  "  hard  parts,"  among 
which  might  be  instanced  Humphrey  Dobbins  in  "  The  Poor 
Gentleman,"  and  for  years  the  costumer  of  the  Museum,  has 
become  "  a  thing  of  nought;  "  John  Adams  (son  of  old  Captain 
Sam  Adams,  of  Boston  watch  and  police  fame,  and  as  a  vocalist 
held  in  remembrance  by  the  frequenters  of  the  old  Tremont 
Theatre,  who  will  never  forget  his  glorious  voice  in  "  The  Sun 
is  Up,"  from  "  Paris  and  London")  died  in  this  city  on  the  third 
of  October,  1863,  and  his  remains  found  a  resting  place  in 
Mount  Auburn;  Mrs.  Knight,  who,  as  Mrs.  Thomas  Hind,  was  a 
member  of  the  Globe  Theatre  company  a  few  seasons  back. 


AUitrtype:  Forbes  Co. 


Sir   Peter   Teazle, 


IN    Tin: 


SCHICOX.      FOI^     SO^i^XD^L. 


Fiftieth   Anniversary. 


playing  the  old  women,  has  gone  to  another  and  a  better  world; 
Mrs.  Melville's  dust  has  long  since  mingled  with  its  fellow  earth; 
and  !Mrs.  Christopher  L.  Stone  has  found  a  respite  from  all  her 
earthly  cares  and  troubles.  Their  faults,  whatever  they  might 
have  been,  are  forgotten;  their  virtues  have  ascended  in  fra- 
grance to  heaven. 

The  afterpiece  was  "  My  Young  Wife  and  Old  Umbrella," 
with,  of  course,  Mr.  Warren  as  Gregory  Grizzle.  He  was  a 
wonderful  acquisition  to  the  company,  and  in  the  preliminary 
announcements  of  the  opening,  he  was  spoken  of  editorially  in 
the  "Post"  as  "Mr.  Warren,  the  highly  fmished  comedian;" 
while  the  "  Transcript "  had  it,  that  "  Warren,  that  exquisite 
comedian,  is  engaged  for  the  season." 


THK   OTHER   P.-VRTS   PLAYED 

by  Mr.  Warren  during  this  his  first  season  at  the  Museum,  were 
Jack  Spraggs  in  "  Look  Before  You  Leap;"  Paul  Shaick  in 
"My  Master's  Rival;"  Cheap  John  in  "The  Flowers  of  the 
Forest;"  Jerry  Ominous  in  "A  Thumping  Legacy;"  John 
Downey  in  "Seemg  Warren;"  Jean  Ruse  in  "  Love's  Sacrifice;" 
Tom  in  "The  Cabinet  Question;"  Tony  Lumpkin  in  "She 
Stoops  to  Conquer;"  William  Thompson,  2d,  in  "The  Two 
ITiompsons;"  Fathom  in  "The  Hunchback;"  Pierre  Palliot  in 
"The  Follies  of  a  Night;"  Sir  Harcourt  Courtly  in  "London 
Assurance;"  Christopher  Strop  in  "  A  Pleasant  Neighbor;"  Sir 
Peter  Teazle;  Jacob  Brag  in  "  Make  Your  Wills;"  Guy  Good- 
luck  in  "John  Jones;"  Pythias  in  "  Damon  and  Pythias;"  Mr. 
Gilman  in  "The  Happiest  Day  of  My  J^ife;"  John  Duck  in 
"The  Jacobite;"  Oliver  Dobbs  in  "Agnes  de  Vere;"  Adam 
Brock  in  "Charles  Twelfth;"  Simon  Sly  in  "Rural  Felicity;" 
Lawrence  in  "The  Fate  of  Calais;"  Monsieur  la  Folic  in  "  Con- 
founded Foreigners;"  Launcelot  in  "The  Merchant  of  Venice;" 
Dan  in  "John  Bull;"   Narcissus  Stubble   in  "Highways   and 


i6 


Fifiieih    Anniversary. 


Byways;"  Stephen  in  "The  Perfect  Wife;"  Sir  Abel  Handy  in 
"  Speed  the  Plough;"  The  Gentleman  in  "  A  Lady  and  Gentle- 
man in  a  Peculiar  Perplexing  Predicament;"  Jotham  Hook  in 
"Moll  Pitcher;"  Coddles  in  "The  Bottle;"  Ludovico  in  "  The 
Peasant  Boy;"  O'Callaghan  in  "His  Last  Legs;"  Monsieur 
Morbleau  in  "Monsieur  Tonson;"  Gregory  Thimble  well  in 
"The  Tal'or  of  Tamworth;"  Jesse  Rural  in  "Old  Heads  and 
Young  Hearts;"  Sir  Bashful  Constant  in  "The  Way  to  Keep 
Him;"  Bullfrog  in  "The  Rent  Day;"  Lord  Mayor  in  "  Richard 
Third;"  Dr.  Lionel  Lambkin  in  "  My  Cousin  Lambkin;"  Dick 
Dumpy  in  "  Uncle  Sam,  or  a  Nabob  for  an  Hour;"  Sir  Adam 
Contest  in  "The  Wedding  Day;"  Ping-Sing  in  "The  En- 
chanted Horse;"  John  Box  in  "  Box  and  Cox;"  Isadore  Farine 
in  "The  Pride  of  the  Market;"  Tom  Tinkle  in  "A  Dream  at 
Sea;"  Josiah  in  "Three  Experiments  of  Living;"  Gilbert 
Bachelor  in  "The  Lear  of  Private  Life;"  Simon  Twiggs  in 
" The  Soldier's  Dream;"  I-e  Grande  Jargon  in  "The  Last  of 
the  Kings;"  Selim  Pettibone  in  "A  Kiss  in  the  Dark;"  Dr. 
OUapod  in  "The  Poor  Gentleman;"  Dominie  Sebastian  Starkoff 
in  "Maurice  the  Woodcutter;"  Mr.  Busyman  in  "The  Mys- 
teries of  Oddfellowship;"  Apollo  Bajazette  in  "  Isabelle,  or 
Woman's  Life;"  Dominique  in  "  Deaf  and  Dumb;"  John 
Prettyjohn  in  "  My  Wife's  Come;"  Murtoch  Delaney  in  "The 
Irishman  in  London;"  Voliante  in  "  Joan  of  Arc;"  Pithagorus 
Sphoon  in  "Wilful  Murder;"  Paul  Pry;  John  James  Pooley  in 
"Young  England;"  Mr.  Perkin  in  " Alive  and  Merry;"  Zckiel 
Homespun  in  "The  Heir-at-Law;"  La  Fleur  in  "Animal 
Magnetism;"  Inkpen  in  "The  Lady  Cavalier;"  Sampson  Jones 
in  "Waiting  for  a  Train;"  Fixture  in  "A  Roland  for  an 
Oliver;"  Admiral  Kingston  in  "Naval  Engagements;"  Jacob 
Earwig  in  "Boots  at  the  Swan;"  Marquis  de  Richeville  in 
"Grist  to  the  Mill;"  Sam  Slap  in  "The  Rake's  Progress;" 
Dennis  O'Glib  in  "The  Siamese  Twins;"    Marmaduke  Magog 


Fiftieth   Anniversary. 


17 


in  "The  Wreck  Ashore;"  and  Morgan  Rattler  in  "How  to 
Pay  the  Rent." 

THE  SIXTH  SEASON 
opened  on  the  evening  of  Monday,  August  14th,  1848,  with 
"  The  Poor  Gentleman."  The  fresh  parts  played  by  Mr.  War- 
ren this  season  were :  Marcel  Margot  in  "  'Twas  I ; "  Dominie 
Sampson  in  "Guy  Mannering;"  Mr.  Lax  in  "Dearest  Eliza- 
beth;" Haversack  in  "Napoleon's  Old  Guard;  "  Michael 
Brousky  in  "  Pas  de  Fascination;"  Natz  Teick  in  "  Swiss  Cot- 
tage;" Frank  Oatland  in  "  A  Cure  for  the  Heartache;"  Baillie 
Nicol  Jarvie  in  "  Rob  Roy;"  John  Peter  Pilncoddy  in  "  Poor 
Pillicoddy;"  Lord  Priory  in  "  Wives  as  they  Were  and  Maids 
as  they  Are;"  Sir  Harry  Beagle  in  "The  Jealous  Wife;"  Sir 
William  Fondlove  in  "  The  Love  Chase;"  John  Moody  in  "The 
Provoked  Husband;"  Graves  in  "Money;"  Flutter  in  "The 
Belle's  Stratagem;"  Triptolemus  ICrout  in  "  The  Lioness  of  the 
North;"  Peregrene  Puggs  in  "Shocking  Events;"  Baron 
Pumpernickle  in  "Love's  Telegraph;"  Bob  Acres  in  "The 
Rivals;"  Simon  Sparks  in  "The  Milliner's  Holiday;"  Augus- 
tus Fitzmortimer  in  "The  Phantom  Breakfast;"  Timothy  Quaint 
in  "The  Soldier's  Daughter;"  L'Clair  in  "The  Foundling  of 
the  Forest;"  Andrew  in  "The  Warlock  of  the  Glen;"  Trudge 
in  "Inkle  and  Yarico;"  Ephraim  Smooth  in  "Wild  Oats;" 
Terrence  O'Reilly  in  "  Who  Do  They  Take  Me  For;  "  John 
Browdie  in  "Nicholas  Nickleby;"  Marrall  in  "  A  New  Way  to 
Pay  Old  Debts;"  Timothy  Botch  in  "A  Soldier,  a  Sailor,  a 
Tinker  and  a  Tailor,"  Hans  Ketzlcr  in  "The  Housekeeper's 
Daughter;"  Toby  Perch  in  "  Old  Honesty;"  Jeremiah  Trundle 
in  "Going  to  the  Races;"  Jacob  Cray  in  "  Old  Job  and  Jacob 
Gray;"  Fogrum  in  "The  Slave;"  Baraby  Bristles  in  "  Lucky 
Stars;"  John  Ginger  in  "  The  Thimble  Rig;"  Bumble  in  "  Oli- 
ver Twist;"  Nicholas  Dovetail  in  "Mischief  Making;"  Mr. 
Golightiy  in  "Lend  Me  Five  Shillings;"  Slasher  in  "Slasher 


i8 


Fiftieth   Anniversary. 


and  Crasher;"  Gregory  in  "Turn  Out;"  Mustapha  in  "The 
Forty  Thieves;"  John  Strong  in  "  Your  Life's  in  Danger;"  Ben- 
jamin Bowbell  in  "The  Illustrious  Stranger;"  Caleb  Quotem  in 
"The  Review;"  and  Tristram  Sappy  in  "  As  Deaf  as  a  Post." 


THE   SEVENTH   SEASON 

of  the  Museum  was  opened  on  the  evening  of  Monday,  August 
13th,  1849.  During  this  season  the  new  parts  sustained  by  Mr. 
Warren  were  as  follows :  Potterly  Pevvitt  in  "  Taken  in  and 
Done  For;"  Hawbuck  in  "  Town  and  Country;"  Polonius  in 
"Hamlet;"  Kilmalloch  in  "The  Mountaineers;"  Peter  Pater- 
noster in  "  John  Dobbs;"  Kent  in  "  King  Lear;"  Adam  Win- 
terton  in  "The  Iron  Chest;"  Titus  Tallboy  in  "  The  Trumpeter's 
Wedding;"  Beau  Shatterly  (for  the  first  time,  Sept.  17th)  in 
"Married  and  Single;"  Hannibal  Fuzee  (first  time,  Sept.  2ibt) 
in  the  "Bold  Dragoons;"  Tom  Chaff  (first  time,  Oct.  ist)  in 
"My  Sister  Kate;"  Graves  in  "Money;"  Touchstone,  (first 
time  here,  Oct.  5th)  in  "As  You  Like  It;"  Cobus  Yerks  in 
"The  Post  of  Honor;"  Papoline  in  "The  Sleeping  Draught;" 
Jack  Cabbage  in  "  Sudden  Thoughts;"  Sampson  Jones  in  "The 
Railroad  Station;"  Antony  in  "The  Rival  Valets;"  Jacob  Close 
in  "  My  Wife's  Second  Floor;"  Squire  Richard  in  "The  Pro- 
voked Husband;"  Jacques  in  "The  Honeymoon;"  Mr.  Simp- 
son in  "Simpson  &  Co.;"  Bill  Dowton  in  "The  Drunkard;" 
MacSwill  in  "The  Vampire's  Bride;"  Chopin  in  "The  Me- 
chanic of  Lyons  "  (first  time  in  America  Nov.  23d)  ;  Bartolo  in 
"The  Wife;"  Zyrtillo  in  "The  Innkeeper  of  Abbeville;" 
Crummy  in  "  The  Bookkeeper's  Blunder,"  founded  on  the 
Query  "Who  Pinned  Chase's  Coat  Tail?"  Bagatelle  in  "The 
Poor  Soldier;"  Andrew  Adz  in  "  Michael  Erie;"  Felix  Fumer 
in  "The  Laughing  tlyena;"  Hugh  Morgan  in  "Gwyneth 
Vaughan;"  Miramont  in  "The  Elder  Brother;"  Papillon  in 
"The    Liar;"    Samson   Low  in  "The    Windmill;"   Robert   in 


Fiftieih   Atuiiversarv. 


19 


"  SLx  Degrees  of  Crime;"  Grandfather  Whitehead  (first  time 
January  28th,  1858);  Jacques  Strop;  The  Grandfather  in 
"  Master  Humphrey's  Clock;"  Galochard  in  "The  King's  Gar- 
dener;" Cupidonin  "The  Enchanted  Beauty  "  (produced  for  the 
first  time  Monday  evening,  February  4th,  and  had  seventy-five 
representations);  Solomon  in  "The  Rose  of  Corbeil;"  Mr. 
Vox  in  "Margaret  Langford;"  Tom  Tape  in  "  Englishmen  in 
India;"  Fluffy  in  " Mother  and  Child  are  Doing  Well;"  Mar- 
tin in  "The  Maid  and  the  Magpie;"  and  Dickory  in  "The 
Spectre  Bridegroom." 


THE  EIGHTH  SEASON 

commenced  August  5th,  1850.  The  new  parts  in  which  we  find 
Mr.  Warren  this  season  were :  Hans  Moritz  in  "  Somebody 
Else;"  Bobby  Breakwindow  in  "The  New  Footman;"  Horatio 
Waggles  in  "Friend  Waggles;"  Donald  in  "The  Falls  of 
Clyde;"  Tommy  Tadpole  in  "The  Haunted  Inn;"  Lawyer 
Endless  in  "No  Song,  no  Supper;"  Perky n  Pyefinch  in  "The 
King  and  I;"  Peter  Ramboullier  in  " The  Last  Dollar;"  Bob 
Ticket  in  "An  Alarming  Sacrifice;"  Solomon  in  "The  Stran- 
ger;" FirstWitch  in  "Macbeth;"  Laird  Small  in  "  The  King  of 
the  Commons;"  Paul  Pitapat;  Gil  Perez  in  "  Love's  Counter- 
sign;" Alcibiades  Blaque  in  "Gertrude's  Cherries;"  Pedro  in 
"Cinderella"  (produced  Nov.  nth,  1850,  and  run  seventy-two 
times)  ;  O'Blarney  in  "  My  Friend  in  the  Straps;"  Mr.  Thistle- 
down in  "Platonic  Attachnients;"  Beeswing  in  "The  Daugh- 
ter of  the  Stars;"  Launcelot  Banks  in  "Sent  to  the  Tower;" 
Mr.  Newpenny  m  "Two  in  the  Morning;"  Dogberry  in  "Much 
Ado  About  Nothing;"  Mr.  Mouser  in  "Betsey  Baker ;"  Grumio 
in  "  Katherine  and  Petruchio;"  Topach  in  "The  Children  of 
Cyprus"  (produced  March  17th,  1851,  and  played  seventy- jix 
times)  ;  Kit  Cockles  in  "  The  Boston  Merchant  and  his  Clei  Rs ; " 
Bristles  in  "The  Farmer's  Story;"  Major  Lankey  in  "  Pills  and 


20 


Fiftieth   Anniversary. 


Powder ; "  Gregory  Goslington  in  "  The  Widow's  Curse ; "  Cousin 
Joe  in  "The  Rough  Diamond;"  Toby  Tramp  in  "The  Mummy;" 
Capt.  Copp  in  "  Charles  the  Second;"  Goliah  Goth  in  "Allow 
Me  to  y\pologize;"  Mr.  Bonassus  in  "Victorine;"  Brioche  in 
"The  Husband  of  My  Heart;"  and  Toby  Twinkle  in  "All  that 
Glitters  is  not  Gold." 

THE  NINTH  SEASON 
opened  on  the  evening  of  Monday,  August  4th,  185 1,  with 
"  The  Heir-at-Law,"  Mr.  Warren  as  Dr.  Pangloss.  The  fresh 
parts  this  season  were :  Mr.  Creepmouse  in  "  Retired  from 
Business ;"  Grimshaw  in  "  Grimshaw,  Bagshaw  and  Bradshaw ;" 
Jeremiah  Goslin  in  "The  Fire  Eater;"  James  in  "The  Hypo- 
chondriac;" Dust  in  "The  House  Dog;"  Canuche  in  "The 
Seven  Castles,  or  the  Powers  of  the  Passions"  (which  had  its 
first  representation  November  3d,  1851,  and  was  given  some 
thirty  performances)  ;  Peter  Spyke  in  "The  Loan  of  a  Lover;" 
John  Smith  in  "Nature's  Nobleman;"  Ephraim  Jenkinson  in 
"The  Vicar  of  Wakefield;"  Nicholas  in  "  Peggy  Green;"  Mr. 
Bonnycastle  in  "The  Two  B onny castles ;"  Von  Grout  in  "The 
King  and  the  Deserter;"  Count  Torribio  de  Portobello  in  "A 
Hopeless  Passion;"  Gen.  Omelette  in  "The  Sergeant's  Wed- 
ding;" Monsieur  Vraiment  in  "  Caught  in  His  Own  Trap;"  Mr. 
Dulcimer  in  " The  Guardian  Angel;"  Jefferson  Scattering  Bat- 
kins  (first  time  Feb.  16th,  1852)  in  "The  Silver  Spoon ;"  Mr. 
Samuel  Gosling  in  "Tender  Precautions;"  BuUwaden  in  "The 
Enchanted  Harp  "  (first  produced  March  8th,  1852,  and  had 
sixty-nine  performances)  ;  Von  Dunder  in  "  'Twould  Puzzle  a 
Conjurer;"  Mr.  Doublequill  Bun  in  "An  Organic  Affection ;" 
Pierrot  Baptiste  in  "The  Forest  of  Senart,"  and  Mr.  Pygmalion 
Phibbs  in  "  Done  on  Both  Sides." 


Fiftieth   Anniversary, 


21 


THE  TENTH   SEASON 

commenced  on  August  9th,  1S52,  with  "  The  Poor  Gentleman" 
and  "  The  Rough  Diamond."  Mr.  Warren's  new  parts  this 
season  were  as  follows:  Mr.  Smythe  in  "The  Meddler;" 
Tompkins  Tipthorp  in  "  \Vho  Stole  the  Pocket  Book;  "  Lissardo 
in  "  The  Wonder;  "  Tom  Dibbles  in  "  The  Good  for  Nothing;  " 
Crequet  in  "  Satan  in  Paris;  "  Sir  Andrew  Aguecheek  in 
"Twelfth  Night;  "  Trappanti  in  "She  Would  and  She  Would 
Not;  "  Ferguson  Trotter  in  "The  Writing  on  the  Wall;  "  Guy 
of  the  Gap  in  "  The  Rose  of  Ettrick  Vale;  "  Penetrate  Partyside 
in  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  (first  produced  Nov.  15th,  1852,  and 
which  had  an  uninterrupted  run  of  ten  weeks,  and  one  hundred 
and  seven  performances  in  all) ;  Box  in  "  Box  and  Cox  Married ;  " 
— on  theoccasionof  Mr.  Warren's  benefit,  Feb.  nth,  1853,  his  sis- 
ter, Mrs.  Rice,  made  her  first  and  only  appearance  in  the  city  as 
Mrs.  Turtle  in  "  Hunting  a  Turtle;  " — Paddington  Green  in 
"The  Woman  I  Adore;  "  Mr.  Carraway  in  "The  Jenkinses;  " 
John  Buttercup  in  "The  Phenomenon  in  a  Smock  Frock;  " 
Thomas  Go-to-bed-Smith  in  "  Go  to  Bed  Tom;  "  Dennis  O'Glib 
in  "The  Siamese  Twins;"  Jean  Jacques  Francaise  Antigone 
Hypolite  Frisac  in  "  Paris  and  London;  '"  Mr.  Samuel  Snozzle 
in  "To  Paris  and  Back  for  Five  Pounds;  "  Oscar  Baillard  in 
"  Our  New  Lady's  Maid;"  Mr.  Lilywhite  in  "  Forty  and  Fifty;" 
and  Matty  Marvellous  in  "  The  Miller's  Maid." 


THE  ELEVENTH   SEASON 

opened  Monday  evening,  August  8th,  1853,  with  "The  Ileir- 
at-Law."  We  find  during  this  season  the  following  as  Mr.  War- 
ren's new  representations :  Orpheus  Augustus  Toots  in  "  Rap- 
pings  and  Table  Turnings;  "  Mr.  P.  Postlewhaite  in  "  A  Desperate 
Game;  "  Jeremy  in  "The  Lady's  Stratagem;  *'  Baron  Von  Kalb 
in  "  Louise  MuUer;  "  Mr.  Middleman  Higgins  in  "  Extremes;  " 


22 


Fiftieth    Anniversary. 


Goldfinch  in  "Road  to  Ruin;"  Ibrahim  Mustapha  in  "The 
Talisman  "  (produced  Nov.  21st,  and  ran  five  weeks) ;  Colin  de 
Trop  in  "The  Somnambulist;  "  John  Small  in  "  The  Two  Buz- 
zards; "  Willibald  in  "The  Bottle  Imp;"  Jacob  Codling  in 
"The  Last  Man;  "  Dr.  Lancelot  Shee  in  a  "  Pretty  Piece  of 
Business;  "  Monsieur  Tourbilon  in  "To  Parents  and  Guar- 
dians; "  The  Infante  Furibond  in  "The  Invisible  Prince;" 
Diccon  in  "The  Maid  with  the  Milking  Pail;"  Michael 
Browsky  in  "Pas  de  Fascination;"  Job  in  "  Cupid  in  a  Con- 
vent; "  Ignatius  Mulrooney  in  "Andy  Blake;"  Rouble  in 
"The  Prima  Donna;"  Mr.  Samuel  Dabchick  in  "How  to 
Make  Home  Happy;  "  Simon  Wigway  in  "  Hot  Corn;  "  Hector 
Coco  in  "  Val  D'Andore;  "  Delph  in  "  Family  Jars;  "  Nobbier 
in  "Number  One  'Round  the  Corner;  "  Wigler  in  "  The  Valet 
de  Sham;  "  Hickory  Short  in  "The  Governor's  Wife;  "  and 
Gustave  de  Grignon  in  "  The  Ladies'  Battle." 


THE   TWELFTH    SEASON 

was  commenced  Monday  evening,  August  7th,  1854,  with  "  All 
that  Glitters  is  not  Gold"  (Mr.  Warren  as  Toby  Twinkle)  and 
"  The  Phenomenon  in  a  Smock  Frock. "  Mr.  Warren's  new  parts 
this  season  were  :  Mr.  Trotter  Southdown  in  "To  Oblige  Ben- 
son; "  Anthony  Soskins  in  "The  Moustache  Movement;  "  Mr. 
Christopher  Quail  in  "Heads  and  Tails;"  Baron  Svvig-it-off- 
Beeryin  "  Jennie  Lind  ;  "  Tom  Tact  in  "Time  Tries  AH;"  Pierre 
Jt^ques  in  "Temptation;"  Don  Scipio  di  Pumpolino  in  "The 
Queen's  Husband;"  Augustus  in  "The  Willow  Copse;"  Jo- 
siah  Bounderby  in  "  Hard  Times ;  "  Mr.  Richards  in  "As  Like 
as  Two  Peas;"  Nicodemus  Crowquill  in  "Peter  Wilkins;" 
Faithful  Heartmore  in  "The  Dream;"  Sam  Sampson  in 
"Bachelors'  Buttons;"  Job  Wort  in  "A  Blighted  Being;" 
Lord  Leatherhead  in  "The  Queensbury  Fete;  "  Gnatbrain  in 
"  Black-eyed  Susan ;  "  Caleb  Balderstone  in  "  The  Bride  of  Lam- 


Fiftieth    Anniversary. 


23 


mermoor ;  "  Tobie  Fracas  in  "  Civilization ;  "  Ichabod  Improveall 
in  "  The  Magic  Mirror  "  (run  five  weeks);  Charles  Morton  in 
"The  Revolutionary  Soldier;"  Hector  Timid  in  "  The  Dead 
Shot ;  "  Mr.  Sowerby  in  "  Tit  for  Tat ;  "  Doctor  Rhododendron 
in  "A  Game  of  Romps,"  and  David  in  "  The  Bengal  Tiger." 

THE  THIRTEENTH  SEASON 
opened  on  the  evening  of  Monday,  August  6th,  1855,  with 
"  The  Belle's  Stratagem  "  and  "  The  Two  Buzzards."  The  new 
parts  assigned  l\Ir.  Warren  were :  Mr.  Sparks  in  "  The  Milliner's 
Holiday;"  John  Mildmay  in  "  Still  Waters  Run  Deep;"  Greg- 
ory in -'Turn  Out;"  Michonet  in  "  Adrienne;"  Hugo  in  "  Val- 
entine and  Orson  "  (run  seven  weeks)  ;  John  Plump  in  "  Don't 
Judge  by  Appearances;"  Mr.  A.  Wylie  in  "The  Bachelor  of 
Arts;"  Mr.  Sudden  in  "The  Breach  of  Promise;"  Mr.  Plummy 
in  "How  Stout  You're  Getting;"  Job  Fustian  in  "  Charity's 
Love ;"  Count  Toribu  de  Pompolo  in  "  The  Muleteer  of 
Toledo ;"  Mustapha  in  the  "  Forty  Thieves  "  (run  six  weeks)  ; 
Achilles  Talma  Dufard  in  "  The  First  Night ;"  Triplet  in  "  Peg 
Woffington;"  and  Dentatus  Dotts  in  "  Urgent  Private  Affairsl" 

THE  FOURTEENTH   SEASON 

opened  August  nth,  1856,  with  "The  Poor  Gentleman "  and 
"  The  Windmill."  The  new  parts  for  which  Mr.  Warren  was 
cast  this  season  embraced  Michel  in  "  Hortense,  or  The  Pride 
of  Birth;"  Jing  Jolly-gong,  in  "  Aladdin  "  (produced  Monday, 
Nov.  24th,  "56,  and  run  five  weeks)  ;  Mr.  Delmaine  in  "  My 
Husband's  Mirror;"  Count  de  Brissac  in  "Our  Wife;"  Haw- 
buck in  "Second  Love;"  Tom  Baggs  in  "  St.  Mary's  Eve;" 
Uncle  John  in  "  Dred;"  Mr.  Coobiddy  in  "  Hoops  and  Crino- 
line ;"  Enos  Crumlet  in  "  Neighbor  Jackwood ;"  and  Don 
Vicentio  in  "  A  Bold  Stroke  for  a  Husband  "  —  not  a  very  heavy 
season  for  study. 


Fiftieth   Anniversary. 


THE  FIFTEENTH  SEASON 
commenced  with  "  Sweethearts  and  Wives  "  and  "  Poor  Pilli- 
coddy,"  on  Monday  evening,  August  loth,  1857.  The  new  parts 
of  Mr.  Warren  this  season  were:  Simon  Box  in  "The  House- 
keeper;" Dandylion  in  "  Ruth  Oakley;"  Barabas  in  "The  Sea 
of  Ice;"  Lavigne  in  "Therese,  the  Orphan  of  Geneva;"  Bill 
Ball  in  "The  Liberty  Tree;"  Schnapps  in  "The  Nymphs  of  the 
Rhine"  (better  known  as  "The  Naiad  Queen");  Union  Jack 
in  "  Woman,  her  Love,  her  Faith,  her  Trials ;"  Mr.  Snuffleton 
in  "Brother  Ben;"  M.  Desmerits  in  "Plot  and  Passion;"  Tim 
Moore  in  "The  Irish  Lion;"  Ping  Sing  in  "The  Enchanted 
Horse ;"  Mr.  Horatius  Tittlebat  in  "  An  Uncommonly  Awkward 
Position;"  Jerry  Butters  in  "The  Rich  and  Poor  of  Boston;" 
John  Forrester  in  "The  Jewess;"  Mr.  Barnaby  Bibbs  in  "  A 
Quiet  Family;"  Walter  in  "The  Maid  of  Croissy;"  Peter  Von 
Bummel  in  "  The  Flying  Dutchman;"  J.  S.  Batkins  in  "  Batkins 
at  Home;"  Bonus  in  "Laugh  When  You  Can;"  Peter  Perch  in 
"The  Crock  of  Gold;"  and  Mr.  Jarvis  Spike  in  "A  Wedding 
Present." 

THE   SIXTEENTH    SEASON 

opened  Monday  evening,  August  9th,  1858,  with  "  The  Poor 
Gentleman  "  and  "  The  Rough  Diamond."  Mr.  Warren's  new 
parts  this  season  were:  Crawley  in  "Gold;"  Bob  Acres  in 
"The  Rivals;"  Autolycus  in  "  A  Winter's  Tale;"  Hindbad  in 
"Sinbad  the  Sailor;"  Asa  Trenchnrd  in  "  Our  American  Cou- 
sin;" Cackelberry  in  "Thirty-three  Ne.xt  Birthday;"  Fixture  in 
"A  Roland  for  an  Oliver;"  Chiselby  in  "  Senor  Valiente;" 
Lord  Timothy  Dexter;  Our  Cousin  Peter;  and  Sir  Solomon 
Cynic  in  "The  Young  Heiress"  (altered  from,  the  old  comedy 
"TheWni"). 

THE   SEVENTEENTH    SEASON 

commenced  Monday  evening,  August  15th,  1859.  We  find  the 
new  parts  of  Mr.  Warren  to  be  this  season :  Pawkins  in  "  Re- 


Fiftieth   Anniversary. 


tained  for  the  Defence ;"  Mr.  Oscar  Sheridan  Brown  in  "  I've 
Written  to  Brown  ;"  Victor  Dubois  in  "  Ici  on  Parle  Francais;" 
Joseph  Ironsides  in  "  Nine  Points  of  the  Law ;"  Cupidon  in 
"  The  Enchanted  Beauty ;"'  Baron  de  Beaupre  in  "  A  Husband 
to  Order;"  Major  Wellington  de  Boots  Jh  "Everybody's 
Friend;"  Caleb  Plummer  in  "Dot;"  Finesse  in  "Mesalli- 
ance;" Lycurgus  ^luddle  in  "  Fast  Men  of  the  Olden  Time;" 
Shacabac  in  "  Blue  Beard ;"  Dr.  Boerhaave  Botcherby  in  "  The 
Unequal  Match;"  Major  Ira  Warfield  in  "The  Hidden  Hand;" 
Aminidab  Sleek  in  "The  Serious  Family;"  Jonathan  Chick- 
weed  in  "  Nursey  Chickweed ;"  Mizzle  in  "  Does  Vour  Mother 
Know  You're  Out ;"  Uncle  Zachary  Clinch  in  "  Uncle  Zachary." 
During  this  season,  on  Saturday  evening,  November  I2th,  1859, 
Mr.  Warren,  in  conjunction  with  Mrs.  Julia  Bennett  Barrow, 
appeared  in  a  "  Polyloquial  Pastime,  entitled  Old  Friends  and 
New  Phases,"  written  by  John  Brougham. 

THE  EIGHTEENTH  SEASON 
opened  Monday  evening,  August  6th,  i860,  with  "  The  Rivals  " 
and  "  My  Young  Wife  and  Old  Umbrella."  The  new  parts 
this  season  were:  Mr.  Cornelius  Popjoy  in  "A  Race  for  a 
Widow"  (for  the  first  time  in  America)  ;  Mr.  Dimple,  in  "  Leap 
Year;"  Fitzsmythe  in  "Fitzsmythe  of  Fitzsmythe  Hall;" 
Nicholas  in  "  Secrets  Worth  Knowing ;"  Mr.  Jackeryin  "  Christ- 
mas Boxes;"  Perkyn  Posthlewait  in  "The  Three  Cuckoos;" 
Myles  Na-Coppaleen  in  "The  Colleen  Bawn  "  (fifty-two  con- 
secutive performances);  Pinchback  in  "Playing  with  I'ire ;" 
Oliver  Dobbs  in  "  Agnes  de  Vere  ;"  The  Laird  o'  Dumbiedikes 
in  "  Jeanie  Deans "  (run  four  weeks)  ;  Master  Caleb  Good- 
fellow  in  "  The  Miller  of  Whetstone  ;"  Timothy  Jit  in  "Norah 
Creina;"  Samuel  Pepys  in  "The  Court  and  Stage;"  Mr.  Simon 
Coobiddy  in  "An  Ugly  Customer;"  John  Wopps  in  "From 
Information  I  Received  ;"  Captain  Silas  Jorgan  in  "  A  Message 
from  the  Sea ;"  Fanfaronade  in  "  Belphegor,  the  Mountebank ;" 


Fiftieth   Anniversary. 


Rodney  Rickets  in  "Hit  Him,  He  Has  no  Friends;"  Snobson 
in  "Fashion;"  Monsieur  Achille  Bonbon  in  "The  National 
Guard;"  Isadore  Girodot  in  "The  Cup  and  the  Lip  ; "  Tangle 
in  "Loaves  and  Fishes;"  Mr.  Trevor  in  "A  Hard  Struggle;" 
Augustus  in  "  The  Willow  Copse ;"  Father  Barbeaud  in  "  Fan- 
chon  ;"  and  Jeremiah  Beetle  in  "  The  Babes  in  the  Wood." 

THE  NINETEENTH  SEASON 

opened  with  "  Men  of  the  Day"  (Mr.  Warren  as  Robin  Wild- 
brier)  and  "Betsey  Baker,"  on  Monday  evening,  August  19th, 
1861.  Mr.  Warren's  other  new  parts  during  the  season  were: 
Mr.  Peter  Dunducketty  in  "  Dunducketty's  Picnic;"  Uncle 
Robert  Single  in  "Uncle  Robert;"  John  Groundsel,  in  "My 
Lord  and  My  Lady;"  Dr.  Rouspack  in  "The  Angel  of  Mid- 
night;" Daniel  Doddlewobble  in  "Off  to  the  War;"  Smashing- 
ton  Goit  in  the  farce  of  the  same  name ;  Joe  Gargery  in  "  Great 
Expectations;"  Jean  Jacques  Hyppolite  Rouget  in"Eudora;" 
Benjamin  Wiggles  in  "  Brother  Bill  and  Me ;"  Michael  Carrey 
in  "  Pauvrette,  or  Under  the  Snow;"  Uentatus  Dotts  in  "  The 
Home  Guard;"  Plato  Pottleton  in  "Don't  Forget  Your  Opera 
Glasses;"  Salem  Scudder  in  "The  Octoroon"  (four  weeks); 
Tom  Leeman  in  "The  Belle  of  the  Season;"  Muggieton 
Muggs  in  "That  Nose;"  Mr.  Henpecker  in  "The  Terrible 
Secret "  (first  time  in  America)  ,  Brigadier  Perod  in  "  The 
Circassienne ;"  Doctor  Wespe  in  the  comedy  of  that  name ; 
Mr.  Sweet  in  "  Short  and  Sweet ;"  Dabster  in  "  The  Eton  Boy ;" 
Justice  Grout  in  "  East  Lynne,"  and  Tubal  Trott  in  the  "  Union 
Boys  of  '62." 

THE  TWENTIETH   SEASON 

opened  on  Monday  evening,  August  25th,  1862,  with  "  Men  of 
the  Day"  and  "Dodging  the  Draft,"  Mr.  Warren  as  Hannibal 
Fusil.  His  other  new  parts  were :  Dr.  Juni  Lapham  in  "  Down 
South,  or  the  Steel  Casket;"  Jabez  Bunny  in  "  Black  Sheep;" 


Fiftieth  Anniversary. 


27 


Lazy  Job  in  "  Abel  Drake's  Wife;"  Roussel  in  "  Jeannette,  or 
la  Cretin  de  la  Montagne ;"  Timothy  Poodle  in  "  Poodle  vs.  St. 
Bernard ;"  Dick  Stubbs  in  "  Doing  for  the  Best ;"  Robert  Grap- 
ple in  "Marrying  for  Money;"  Bije  in  "  Magnolia,  the  Plant- 
er's Daughter"  (run  five  weeks)  ;  Hector  BallaWard  in  "Cross- 
ing the  Quicksands;"  Judge  Thornley  in  "Mrs.  Walthrop's 
Boarders;"  Justice  dbadiah  Grout  in  "Edith,  or  the  Earl's 
Daughter;"  Giaccomo  in  "Satanella;"  Steve  in  "Aurora 
Floyd ;"  Baron  Torribro  du  Pompolino  in  "  Marriage  by 
Magic;"  and  Baxter  Digges  in  "  Port  Royal." 

THE  TWENTY-FIRST  SEASON 
opened  August  24th,  1863,  with  "  Money  "  and  "  Cousin  Joe." 
The  new  parts  to  be  added  to  Mr.  Warren's  list  this  season  were 
Tony  Xettletop  in  "  Love  in  a  Maze;"  the  Marquis  de  la  Roche- 
peans  in  "  Old  Fogies;"  Nicodemus  Nobs  in  "Turn  Him  Out;" 
Dogbrier  in  "Camilla's  Husband;"  Dick  Trotter  in  "Janet 
Pride;"  Decimus  Docket  in  "  The  Merry  Widow;"  and  Bun- 
berry  Kobb  in  "  Rosedale  "  (fifty-seven  consecutive  perform- 
ances). On  the  iSth  of  June,  1864,  Mr.  Warren  was  announced 
for  a  farewell  benefit,  when  he  appeared  as  Box,  and  Achille 
Talma  Dufard.  He  remained,  however,  until  the  close  of  the 
season,  July  4th. 

THE  TWENTY-SECOND   SEASON 

Mr.  Warren  severed  his  connection  with  the  Museum,  and 
under  Mr.  Henry  C.  Jarrett's  management,  as  chief  of  the  War- 
ren-Orton  combination,  made  a  successful  starring  tour  of  the 
country,  in  such  roles  as  that  of  Dr.  Pangloss  in  "  The  Heir-at- 
Law  "  and  Jeremiah  Beetle  being  especially  acceptable  The 
other  members  of  the  organization  were  :  Mr.  Charles  Barron, 
for  the  past  fifteen  years  the  popular  leading  man  of  the  Bos- 
ton Museum;   Miss  Josie  Orton,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Benjamin  E. 


28 


Fiftieth   Anniversary. 


Woolf,  the  author  of  "  The  Mighty  Dollar,"  and  Miss  Emily 
Mestayer.  But  the  Museum  had  become  Mr.  Warren's  home, 
and  though  had  he  chosen  to  accept  stellar  honors  they  would 
have  been  showered  upon  him,  he  preferred  to  return  and  live 
among  his  warm  friends  of  Boston.  Right  royal  was  the  greet 
ing  extended  the  comedian  as  he  made  his  rentree  on  the  Mu- 
seum stage  in  "The  Heir-at-Law;"  never  was  an  actor  more 
cordially  welcomed,  and  never  was  friendship  better  exemplified. 

THE  TWE^fTY-THIRD  SEASON 
opened  on  the  24th  of  August,  1865,  with  "The  Heir-at-Law" 
(Warren  as  Pangloss)  and  "Turn  Him  Out."  His  new  parts 
throughout  this  season  were:  Mr.  Tittunis  in  "The  Steeple 
Chase;"  Mr.  John  Dibbits  in  "  On  the  Sly;"  Nils  Fleming  in 
"Step  by  Step;"  Rocket  In  "Settling  Day;"  Paul  Pry  in 
"Paul  Pry  Married  and  Settled;"  Iodine  Gnuskoghl,  M.  D.,  in 
"  The  Sons  of  the  Cape  "  (fifty-one  consecutive  performances) ; 
The  Major  in  "  Henry  Dunbar;"  Benjamin  Blinker  in  "  Lost  in 
London;"  and  Jeremiah  Fluke  in  "  Behind  Time." 


THE  TWENTY-FOURTH  SEASON 
was  opened  Monday  evening,  August  13th,  1866,  with  "Town 
and  Country  "  and  "  Somebody  Else."  During  the  season  Mr. 
Warren  appeared  in  the  following  new  parts :  Bob  Buskin  in 
"Only  a  Clod;"  Professor  Brown  in  "Conscience  Makes  Cow- 
ards;" Peterin  "The  Stranger;"  Tom  Stylus  in  "Society;"  Mr. 
Brittle  Pipkin  in  "  Pipkin's  Rustic  Retreat;"  Barney  O'Toole  in 
"  Peep  o'  Day  "  (a  four  weeks'  run) ;  Jasper  Pidgeon  in  "  Meg's 
Diversion;"  Cicero  Rabbits  in  "The  White  Boy;"  John  Want 
in  " The  Frozen  Deep "  (run  four  weeks);  Taraxicum  Twitters 
in  "  My  Turn  Next;"  Jean  Grignon  in  "  Rocambole;"  Pinkey- 
wood  in  "What  Shall  We  Do  With  It;"  Genevoix  in  "The  Old 
Cockade;"  and  Saint  Amant  in  "  Hilda." 


Fiftieth   Anniversary. 


29 


THE  TWENTY-FIFTH  SEASON 

opened  on  August  19th,  1867,  with  "  Men  of  the  Day  "  and  "  My 
Turn  Next."  This  season  Mr.  Warren's  new  parts  were :  Mr. 
Triptolemus  Twitter  in  "A  Slice  of  Luck;  "  Eccles  in  "  Caste;  " 
Toby  Allspice  in  "The  Way  to  Get  Married;"  Floppin  in 
"A  Dangerous  Game;"  Dennis  Wayman  in  "Nobody's 
Daughter;  "  Joey  Ladle  in  "  No  Thoroughfare;  "  Dickey  Dan- 
delion in  "  Dandelion's  Dodges;  "  and  Moneypenny  in  "The 
Long  Strike." 

THE  TWENTY-SIXTH  SEASON 

opened  with  "  Money"  and  "  Poor  Pillicoddy,"  on  the  17th  of 
August,  1868.  Mr.  Warren's  new  parts  were:  Joe  Wylie  in 
"Foul  Play;"  Montgomery  Brown  in  "Time  and  the  Hour;" 
Mr.  Simeon  Schweinfleisch  in  "Surf;"  Charley  Spraggs  in 
"Blow  for  Blow;"  Matthew  Pincher  in  "  Cyril's  Success;" 
Blaziten  in  "Flirtation;"  Leon  Bonnefoi in  "  A  Victim  of  Cir- 
cumstances;" Mr.  John  Hippy  in  "My  Lady  Clara;"  Mr. 
Nubby  in  "  War  to  the  Knife;"  and  Scroggins  in  "A  Cup  of 
Tea." 


THE  TWENTY-SEVENTH  SEASON 
commenced  Monday  evening,  August  II  th,  1869,  with  "London 
Assurance."  The  new  parts  assigned  to  Mr.  Warren  during 
this  season  were :  Sam  Winkle  in  "Checkmate;"  Gaucher  de 
Lorisjuneau  in  "  Birds  of  a  Feather;"  Monsieui  de  Lanorimire 
in  "  A  Marriageable  Daughter;"  Amadee  Jovial  in  "  The  Lone 
House  on  the  Bridge  of  Notre  Dame;"  The  O'Grady  in  "  Arrah 
Na  Pogue  "  (an  eight  weeks'  run);  Dick  DoUand  in  "  Uncle 
Dick's  Darling;"  Baron  de  Cambri  in  "  Frou-Frou;"  Mr.  Frank 
Eristowe  in  "  The  Prompter's  Bo.x;"  Monsieur  de  Pomerol  in 
"Fernande;"  and  Mr.  Kerr  Flamberry  in  "Central  Park." 


30 


Fiftiet]i,   Anniversary. 


THE  TWENTY-EIGHTH   SEASON 

commenced  on  Monday,  August  15th,  1870,  with  "The  Ileir-at- 
Law."  The  following  were  the  new  parts  assigned  to  Mr. 
Warren  this  season :  Mr.  Hunter  in  "  New  Men  and  Old  Acres;" 
Digby  Grant  in  "The  Two  Roses;"  Dunscombe-Dunscombe  in 
"M.  P.;"  Sir  Patrick  I  undie  in  "Man  and  Wife;"  and  Cap- 
tain Sound,  R.  N.,  in  "War." 

THE  TWENTY-NINTH    SEASON 

was  opened  Monday,  August  14th,  1.S71,  with  "Town  and 
Country."  We  find  Mr.  Warren's  new  parts  to  be  :  Tom  Crankey 
in  "The  Birth-place  of  Podgers;"  Sadlove  in  "  Elfie,  or  The 
Cherry  Tree  Inn  "  (forty  consecutive  representations)  ;  Puffy  in 
"  The  Streets  of  New  York  "  (a  four  weeks  run) ;  Nicodemus 
Boffin  in  "Gold  Dust;"  Muggles  in  "  Partners  for  Life;"  and 
Off-an-agan  in  "  \'eteran." 

THE  THIRTIETH  SEASON 
commenced  Mcn^ay  evening,  September  2d,  1872,  with  "The 
School  for  Scandal."  Mr.  Warren's  new  parts  this  season  were 
as  follows:  Templeton  Jitt,  Esq.,  in  "Divorce;"  Corporal 
Patrick  in  "  Rachael  the  Reaper;"  Mr.  Lovibond  in  "The 
Overland  Route;"  Gaillardin  in  "  The  Christmas  Supper;"  and 
Jacques  Faurel  in  "  One  Hundred  Years  Old." 


THE  THIRTY-FIRST   SEASON 

opened  Monday  evening,  September  ist,  1873,  with  "  Divorce." 
Mr.  Warren's  new  parts :  Simon  Cornichet  in  "  The  Geneva 
Cross  "  (a  five  weeks'  run) ;  Mr.  Micawber  in  "  Little  Em'ly  " 
(a  six  weeks'  run)  ;  Hector  Placide  in  "  Led  Astray  "  (a  six 
weeks'  run) ;  and  Capt.  Ed'ard  Cuttle  in  "  Heart's  Delight." 


Al>„,n,l,c:  J.\,,l,t-   (I 


JEFFERSON    SCATTERING    BATKINS, 


IS  mm; 


Fiftieth    Anniversary. 


31 


THE  THIRTY-SECOND  SEASON 
commenced  Monday  evening,  August  24th,  1874,  with  "Town 
and  Country.'.'  The  new  parts  of  this  season  were  :  Herr  Fritz 
Schneider  in"Mimi;"  Daddy  O'Dowd  in  the  play  of  that 
name  (a  four  weeks'  run);  Benjamin  Blinker  in  "  Lost  in  Lon- 
don" (a  three  weeks'  run) ;  Spotty  in  "  The  Lancashire  Lass;" 
Lutin  in  "The  Wicked  World;"  and  Dennis  Bulgruddery  in 
"John  Bui!." 

THE  THIRTY-THIRD   SEASON 

was  opened  Monday  evening,  August  23d,  1875,  "^^^  "John 
Bull."  Mr.  Warren's  new  parts  were:  Prof.  Cadwallader  in 
"  The  Big  Bonanza  "  (which  ran  five  weeks) ;  Moulinet  in  "  Rose 
Michel"  (run  for  four  weeks);  Marecat  in  "Our  Friends;" 
Samuel  Tottles  in"Tottles;"  Abel  Siders  in  "Paul  Revere;" 
and  Ebenezer  Doolittle  in  "  The  Minute  Man." 

THE  THIRTY-FOtniTH  SEASON 

opened  on  Monday  evening,  August  28th,  1876,  with  the  first 
representation  in  Boston  of  Sardou's  "  Ferreol,"  Mr.  Warren  as 
Palamedes  Perrisol.  His  other  new  parts  were:  Gartinet  in 
"Wanted  a  Divorce;"  Paulo  Baretti  in  "John  Garth;"  Levar- 
dier  in  "Rose  Marie;"  Marquis  de  Very  in  "  Vendome ; "  In- 
spector Bucket  in  "  Poor  Jo;"  Hector  Boisjoli  in  "  The  Double 
Wedding;"  Joe  Grill  in  "  Old  Sailors;"  Natt  Harpin  in  "  Maud 
MuUer;"  and  Col.  M.  T.  Elevator  in  "Our  Boarding  House" 
(a  four  weeks'  run).  ^ 

THE  THIRTY-FIFTH   SEASON 

was  inaugurated  by  a  representation  of  "Divorce,"  on  Mon- 
day evening,  August  27th,  1877.  Mr.  Warren's  new  parts 
were  for  this  season :  Baby's  Tutor  in  "  Baby  "  (run  for  four 
weeks)  ;  Antoine  Fontenay  in  "  The  Sisters;"  Major  Gooseberry 
in   "  Lemons,   or  Wedlock   for  Seven;"   Hector  Perrichon   in 


32 


Fiftieth   Anniversary. 


"  Papa  Perrichon  ;"  Dennis  O'Rourke  in  "  A  Celebrated  Case;" 
and  Saunders  in  "  Harebell." 

THE   THIRTY-SIXTH   SEASON 

commenced  Monday  evening,  August  26th,  1878,  with  the  first 
performance  in  this  city  of  Sardou's  "Diplomacy,"  Mr.  Warren 
as  Lucien  Fanrolle.  The  other  new  parts  of  this  season  were : 
Dr.  Primrose  in  "  The  Vicar  of  Wakefield  "  (a  new  version)  ; 
Herr  Weigel  in  "  My  Son  "  (a  five  weeks"  run)  ;  John  Peerybingle 
in  "  The  Cricket  on  the  Hearth;"  Mr.  Perkyn  Middlewick  in 
"  Our  Boys;"  and  Uncle  John  in  "  Snowball." 

THE  THIRTY-SEVENTH   SEASON 

was  opened  on  Monday,  August  25th,  1879,  with  "  The  School 
for  Scandal."  The  new  parts  this  season  were :  Chawles 
Liquorfond  in  "A  Fool  and  His  Money;"  Peponet  in  "  Hum- 
bugs;" Higgins  in,  "  Dr.  Clyde;"  Hector  PeyroUes  in  "The 
Duke's  Motto;"  Josiah  Clinch  in  "Our  Girls;"  and  Father 
Dolan  in  "The  Shaughraun." 

THE  THIRTY'-EIGHTH   SEASON 

opened  Saturday  evening,  August  28th,  1880, with  "The  School 
for  Scandal."  Mr.  Warren's  new  parts  were :  Doctor  Dele- 
hanty  in  "  Sixes  and  Sevens;"  Mr.  Butterscotch  in  "The  Guv- 
'nor  "  (an  eleven  weeks'  run)  ;  and  David  Deans  in  "  Jeanie 
Deans." 

THE   THIRTY-NINTH    SEASON 

opened  on  Monday,  August  22d,  1881,  with  "The  Rent  Day" 
and  "  Doing  for  the  Best."  During  this  season  Mr.  Warren 
appears^i  in  but  two  new  parts  —  Mr.  Lambert  Streyke  in  "  The 
Colonel,"  which  ran  for  five  weeks ;  and  Andrew  in  "  The  False 
Friend." 

THE  FORTIETH  SEASON 
commenced    Monday   evening,   August   21st,    1S82,   with   the 
comedy  of  "Imprudence."     Mr.  Warren  as  Dalrymple,  and  as 
Mr.  Ledger  in  "  The  Parvenu." 


Fiftieth   Anniversary. 


ZZ 


This  record  completes  the  list  of  pieces  in  which  Mr.  Warren 
has  appeared  in  this  city  during  the  thirty-six  years  in  which  he 
has  been  identified  with  the  Boston  stage.  It  is  a  list  unprece- 
dented, and  we  look  upon  it  with  awe,  when  we  take  into  con- 
sideration the  vast  amount  of  mental  strain  that  was  required 
to  memorize  so  many  and  so  opposite  parts.  It  is  a  record  of 
which  it  can  be  safely  said,  that  no  other  actor  who  lived  ever 
approached  it. 

For  a  period  of  thirty-sbc  years  has  Mr.  Warren  been  identi- 
fied with  the 

FORTUNES  OF  THE  MUSEUM, 

and  the  greater  share  of  the  good  luck  which  has  invariably  at- 
tended this  favorite  resort  is  attributable  to  him.  No  actor  was 
ever  more  loyal  to  his  manager,  no  actor  ever  more  faithful  to 
his  public.  "  He  remained  fixed  and  determined  in  principle, 
in  measure  and  in  conduct."  The  writer  of  this  article  is  only 
too  happy  at  being  permitted  the  opportunity  of  expressing  his 
unbounded  admiration  of  Mr.  Warren  as  an  actor,  and  to 
repeat  what  he  wrote  some  ten  years  since : 

"  As  an  actor  Mr.  Warren  may  be  safely  set  down  as  the  most 
thorough  and  accomplished  comedian  on  the  American  boards. 
There  are  others  who  unquestionably  excel  him  in  certain 
specialties,  but  for  general  range  of  what  is  technically  known 
as  '  business,'  he  has  today  no  equal.  In  all  departments  of  the 
comedian's  peculiar  sphere  he  is  thoroughly  at  home.  High 
comedy  and  broad  farce  are  equally  within  his  grasp.  Dialect 
acting  is  one  of  his  strongest  points,  and  his  dialect,  as  is  the 
case  with  most  actors, is  not  confined  to  a  single  nationality,  but 
he  is  at  home  in  French,  Dutch,  .Scotch,  Irish,  Yorkshire  and 
Yankee  parts.  Who  that  remembers  the  pathos  of  his  Haver- 
sack and  Monsieur  Tourbillon  can  ever  forget  the  rollicking 
humor  of  his  O'Callaghan  —  characters  which  are  as  opposite  as 
the  poles.  In  other  pathetic  parts,  who  does  not  call  to  mind 
his  Grandfather  Whitehead  and  his  Jesse  Rural,  and  how  admir- 
ably do  these  contrast  with  the  rich  humor  of  his  Dr.  Pangloss, 
his  Dr.  Ollapod,  his  Tony  Lumpkin  and  his  Dogberry.     We  were 


34 


Fiftieth    Anniversary. 


ever  of  the  opinion  that  in  eccentric  parts  Mr.  Warren  was 
superlative,  and  in  this  connection  we  may  say  that  there  is  a 
certain  round  of  characters  that  he  has  created  in  this  country, 
in  which  he  stands  peerless.  We  refer  to  the  heroes  of  the 
remarkable  series  o  farces  written  by  J.  Madison  Morton,  and 
we  have  the  judgment  of  competent  English  critics-to  bear  us 
out  in  the  assertion,  that  in  their  delineation,  their  original  repre- 
sentatives in  London  bore  no  comparison  to  Mr.  Warren.  In  his 
masterly  portrayal  of  Box,  Grimshaw,  Golightly,  Pillicoddy, 
Puddyfoot,  Slasher,  Bonnycastle,  and  numerous'  other  parts,  he 
has  a'forded  pleasure  to  thousands  upon  thousands  of  our 
citizens,  and  gained  for  himself  a  fame  that  is  world-wide  and 
enduring." 

William  Winter,  an  authority  ni  all  matters  appertaining  to  the 
stage,  says  in  a  note  to  his  life  of  the  JefTersons,  that  Mr. 
Warren  is  "  the  finest  Touchstone  on  the  stage  of  this  period  — 
grave,  quaint  and  sadly  thoughtful  behind  the  smile  and  the 
jest —  an  admirable  Polonius,  great  in  Sir  Peter  Teazle,  and  of 
powers  that  range  easily  from  Caleb  Plummer  to  Eccles,  and  are 
adequate  to  both  extremes  of  com.ic  eccentricity  and  melting 
pathos,  this  comedian  presents  a  shining  exemplification  of  high 
and  versatile  abilities  worthily  used,  and  brilliant  laurels 
modestly  worn. 

In  artistic  detail,  we  may  add  that  Mr.  Warren  is  consum- 
mate; and  in  dress  and  make-up  is  ever  complete,  careful  and 
correct. 

Mr.  Warren  has  never  been  married,  and  it  is  a  matter  of 
profound  regret  to  reflect  that  there  is 

"  No  son  of  his  succeeding  " 
on  whose  shoulders  the  mantle  which  he  so  gracefully  wears 
might  fall.  We  can  wonder  that  a  man  who  loves  domesticity 
so  much  as  Mr.  Warren  does,  has  never  taken  unto  himself  a 
wife ;  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  he  has  good  reasons  for  re- 
maining as  he  is,  and  these  reasons  are  no  concern  of  ours,  or  of 
the  public.     This  we  will  say,  however,  that  he  is  a  great  favor- 


Fiftieth  Anniversary. 


35 


ite  with  ladies,  and  he  endears  himself  to  them  by  his  unvan'ing 
courtesy,  his  delicate  attentions,  and  many  kindly  acts.  He  is 
the  delight  of  those  of  his  friends  who  are  so  fortunate  as  to 
meet  him  in  the  retirement  of  his  home.  He  is  the  life  of  the 
company.     He  possesses  an 

UNCEASING  FLOW  OF  WIT, 
and  is  a  most  delici  ous  story-teller ;  and  his  stories  are  the  more 
heartily  relished  from  the  quaint  humor  with  which  they  are  in- 
vested, and  the  delectable  dryness  with  which  they  are  related. 
As  a  general  thing  the  acquaintances  of  actors  are  ephemeral. 
Such,  however,  is  not  the  case  with  Mr.  Warren.  His  acquaint- 
ances have  grown  into  friends,  and  their  friendships  have  be- 
come steadfast  and  enduring.  The  pubhc  is  inclined  to  be  a 
very  capricious  creature,  but  it  has  never  for  a  moment  been 
lukewarm  in  its  love  for  William  Warren. 
In  many  respects  it  can  be  said  that 

THE  LIFE  OF  MR.  WARF.EM 
has  been  an  uneventful  one.  It  has  been  in  a  great  degree  one 
of  calm  repose.  It  is  to  be  questioned  if  a  more  successful  star 
actor  could  be  found  in  the  country,  had  he  seen  proper  to  take 
up  that  particular  walk.  But  he  preferred  to  "  keep  the  noise- 
less tenor  of  his  way,"  and  if  he  has  not  won  victory  in  as  many 
different  fields  as  hundreds  of  less  gifted  actors  have  done,  his 
triumphs  have  been  to  the  full  as  great  if  not  greater,  and  his 
renown  will  to  a  certainty  be  more  lasting,  for  it  is  implanted 
deep  in  the  affections  of  a  warm-hearted  and  generous  people, 
who,  from  the  youngest  to  the  oldest,  will  cherish  the  fondest 
recollections  of  him  long  after  his  bones  shall  have  mouldered 
into  dust.  Mr.  Warren  is  a  ripe  scholar.  He  is  a  man  of  ex- 
tensive reading,  and  fine  literary  culture,  and  he  is  especially 
well  versed  in  the  modern  authors  of  America,  England,  and 
France. 


36 


Fiftieth    Anniversary. 


The  genius  of  Mr.  Warren,  allied  to  his  blameless  life  and  his 
gentlemanly  instincts,  has  been  his 

PASSPORT   TO   THE   BEST   SOCIETY, 

and  it  is  in  appreciation  of  the  sterling  worth  of  the  man  that  a 
number  of  our  best  citizens  have  tendered  him  a  complimentary 
benefit,  which  is  to  take  place  at  the  Museum  on  Saturday  after- 
noon and  evening,  the  28th  of  October,  and  which  will  also  be 
in  commemoration  of  the  anniversary  of  his  fiftieth  year  of  con- 
nection with  the  stage.  The  brilliant  and  cultivated  audience 
which  will  assemble  on  that  occasion,  and  the  warmth  with 
which  he  will  be  received,  will  be  strongest  testimony  to  the 
estimation  in  which  he  is  held  by  the  entire  community. 
Mr.  Warren  has  proved  himself 

A  PUBLIC   BENEFACTOR. 

He  has  soothed  many  a  weary  and  careworn  mind,  and  has 
brought  sunshine  to  many  an  aching  heart.  On  this  account  it 
is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  man  as  well  as  the  actor  is  so 
beloved.  We  can,  in  no  more  fitting  words  bring  this  article, 
which  is  sadly  inadequate  in  doing  full  justice  to  the  subject,  to 
a  close,  than  by  quoting  the  sentences  which  Thackeray  has 
written  on  Charles  Dickens,  and  which  have  been  on  at  least  one 
occasion  before  applied  to  Mr.  Warren  :  "  We  delight  and  won- 
der at  his  genius ;  we  recognize  in  it  —  we  speak  with  awe  and 
reverence  —  a  commission  from  that  Divine  Beneficence,  whose 
blessed  task  we  know  it  will  one  day  be  to  wipe  every  tear  from 
every  eye.  Thankfully  we  take  our  share  of  the  feast  of  love 
and  kindness,  which  this  gentle  and  generous  and  charitable 
soul  has  contributed  to  the  happiness  of  the  world.  We  take 
and  enjoy  our  share,  and  say  a  Benediction  for  the  meal." 


Fiftieth  Anniversary. 


37 


WILLIAM   WARREN, 


The  Great  Comedian's  Golden  Anniversary. 


BOSTON'S  TRIBUTE  TO  HER  FAVORITE  ACTOR. 


The  scene  in  the  Boston  Museum  on  Saturday  was  one 
the  remembrance  of  which  all  who  were  present  will  long 
cherish.  The  doors  were  opened  at  one  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  and  the  audience  began  to  assemble  immedi- 
atel_v  thereafter,  and  by  two  o'clock  the  theatre  was  well 
filled.  During  the  preliminary  hour  an  orchestral  concert 
was  given,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  George  Purdy.  in 
t\\&  foyer,  which  had  been  transformed  by  Mr.  Galvin  into 
a  bower  of  vines,  blossoms,  tropical  plants  and  ferns  in 
great  profusion.  In  the  inner  lobby,  at  the  foot  of  the 
staircase  leading  to  the  balcony,  displayed  against  a  back- 
ground of  crimson  drapery,  and  lighted  from  above  by  a 
row  of  gas-jets,  stood  the  full-length  portrait  of  Mr. 
Warren,  painted  by  Mr.  Frederick  P.  \'inton  on  the  order 
of  a  large  number  of  Bostonians,  who  desire  to  retain  in 
this  city  for  all  time  the  counterfeit  presentment  of  our 
greatest  comedian.  It  was  seen  and  admired  by  the  audi- 
ence, who,  in  both  the  afternoon  and  evening,  gathered 
about  it  in   throngs  while   on    the   way   in  or  out  of  the 


38 


Fiftieth  Anniversary. 


auditorium.  The  portrait  is  a  remarkably  fine  one,  and 
the  instinctive  remark  of  liundreds,  on  seeing  it  for  the 
first  time,  was  "  How  natural!  "  Mr.  Warren  is  depicted 
by  the  artist  in  walking  costume,  with  overcoat  thrown 
open,  gloves  held  loosely  in  the  right  hand,  and  the  right 
foot  a  little  forward  —  an  easy,  natural  and  graceful  pos- 
ture. The  face  has  the  genial,  kindly  expression  so 
familiar  to  all  who  know  the  original,  and  the  effect  of 
the  picture,  as  it  was  set  on  this  occasion,  was  that  of  a 
gentleman  greeting  his  guests. 

The  decorations  in  the  auditorium  were  confined  to  the 
front  of  the  stage  and  the  proscenium  boxes.  The  or- 
chestra was  banished  under  the  stage,  and  in  the  place 
usually  occupied  by  the  leader's  music-stand  was  set  a 
life-size  bust  of  the  comedian,  the  base  wreathed  in 
vines,  flowers  and  gorgeous-hued  autumn  leaves.  The 
stage-front  was  thickly  hung  with  festoons  of  smilax, 
dotted  at  close  intevals  with  roses.  Festoons  of  laurel 
leaves  depended  in  graceful  curves  over  the  box-fronts, 
from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  thickly  interspersed  with 
camelias,  calendulas,  nasturtiums,  poppies  and  sprays  of 
ivy.  In  front  of  the  opening  of  each  box,  near  the  top, 
was  suspended  a  basket  of  roses.  The  effect  was  charm- 
ing, the  deep  green  of  the  leaves  and  the  more  lively 
colors  of  the  flowers  gaining  new  beauties  by  contrast 
with  the  mahogany  and  "  old  gold,"  which  formed  a  rich 
background. 

THE  AFTERNOON  PERFORMANCE 


was  attended  by  an  audience  of  a  little  over  eleven  hun. 
dred  persons,  the  ladies  being  in  the  majority.  A  more 
brilliantly  attired  assemblage  has  rarely,  if  ever,  been 
seen  at  a  matinee,  and  the  long  rows  of  private  carriages 


Fiftieth  Anniversary. 


39 


in  front  of  the  house  indicated  that  it  comprised  a  goodly 
number  of  representatives  of  the  wealth  and  fashion  of 
the  city,  as  well  as  the  more  humble  admirers  of  the  come- 
dian. The  play  was  the  "  Heir-at-Law  "  of  the  younger 
Coleman,  and  it  Avas  presented  with  a  cast  which  will  be 
found  on  the  second  page. 

The  performance  was  one  of  rare  and  general  excel- 
lence, and  its  merits  were  thoroughly  appreciated  and 
duly  rewarded  by  the  audience.  Miss  Clark's  "  Cicely," 
Mr.  Barron's  "Dick  Dowlas,"  Mr.  Wilson's  "  Zekiel," 
Mr.  Hudson's  "  Daniel  Dowlas,"  Miss  Bartlett's  "  Caro- 
line," and  Mrs.  Vincent's  "  Deborah  Dowlas"  were  each 
and  all  very  good,  and  every  one  of  the  players  seemed 
to  intend  just  such  an  artistic  care  and  reserve  as  would 
be  appropriate  to  tlie  anniversary.  But  the  chief  interest) 
of  course,  was  in  Mr.  Warren.  On  his  first  appearance 
he  was  greeted  with  hearty  and  long  sustained  plaudits, 
and  it  was  several  minutes  before  his  admirers  would 
allow  him  to  speak.  He  acknowledged  the  demonstration 
with  quiet  dignity,  and  proceeded  with  his  role  in  the 
same  admirable  manner  wliich  lias  hitherto  characterized 
his  performance  of  this  favorite  part.  He  was  again  and 
again  applauded  during  the  representation,  and  at  the  end 
of  the  third  act  was  called  before  the  curtain.  It  was  not 
on  the  programme  for  him  to  make  a  speech  until  evening; 
but  the  audience  persisted  in  demanding  it  of  him,  and  he 
graciously  yielded.  In  a  voice  tremulous  with  emotion, 
he  thus  addressed  his  auditors  : 

Toadies  and  Gentlemen,  —  It  is  seldom  that  it  is  granted 
to  an  actor  to  assist  at  the  semi-centennial  anniversay  of 
his  first  appearance  on  the  stage.  It  is  a  part  requiring 
a  great  many  long  rehearsals,  and  only  one  performance. 
[Laughter  and  applause.]  I  cannot  flatter  myself,  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  that  this  compliment  is  due  to  my  humble 


40 


Fiftieth  Anniversary. 


efforts  to  amuse  you  through  a  long  series  of  years,  but 
rather  that  it  is  due  to  your  generosity.  I  do  not  think  any 
reminiscences  of  mine  would  be  very  entertaining  to  you, 
not  being  partial  to  ancient  history  [laughter],  and  I  have 
been  so  long  used  to  appear  on  these  boards  as  somebody 
else,  that  it  is  not  very  congenial  to  me  to  stand  here  and 
talk  about  myself,  making,  as  the  poet  says,  "  himself  to 
stand  the  hero  of  his  tale."  [Applause.]  I  thank  you 
from  the  bottom  of  my  heart.  I  have  also  some  acknowl- 
edgments to  make  to  the  committee  of  arrangements,  to 
Mr.  Frederick  P.  Vinton,  to  the  gentlemen  of  the  press,  to 
the  managers  of  this  theatre,  to  the  members'  of  the 
Museum  company,  and  to  the  many  kind  friends  who 
offered  their  services  —  Mr.  Barnabee,  among  the  first, 
Edwin  Booth,  Lester  Wallack,  John  McCullough,  Joseph 
Jefferson,  and  last,  but  not  least,  Miss  Mary  Anderson  and 
Mrs.  Drew;  but  previous  professional  engagements  pre- 
vented their  appearance.  Now,  thanking  you  for  this  and 
the  many,  many  past  favors,  which  are  registered  where 
every  day  I  turn  the  leaf  to  read  them,  allow  me  to  bid 
you  farewell.     [Loud  applause.] 

This  brief  and  appropriate  address  was  received  with 
every  demonstration  of  delight,  and  the  speaker,  laying 
down  the  role  of  Warren,  resumed  that  of  "  Dr.  Pangloss," 
and  the  play  proceeded  to  the  end,  with  success  equalling 
that  attendant  upon  its  earlier  scenes. 

THE    EVEXIXG    PERFORMANCE 

attracted  what  was  beyond  question  the  finest  audience 
ever  gathered  within  the  Museum  walls.  The  expressions 
of  its  aftectionate  admiration  for  Mr.  Warren  were  made 
with  a  vigor  and  directness  that  would  have  thrilled  even 
an  indifterent  spectator ;  nothing — not  one  even  of  the 
many  rounds  of  applause —  seemed  in  the  least  perfunc- 
tory, and  everywhere  the  glowing  cheek,  the  moistened 
eye  and  the  tremulous  hand  told  of  the  heartfelt  signifi- 
cance of  the  occasion.     Prominent  representatives  of  all 


Fiftieth  Afitiiversary. 


41 


the  learned  professions  —  the  clergy  not  accepted  —  were 
notably  numerous,  and  so  were  men  and  women  of  dis- 
tinction in  artistic,  official  and  business  circles,  and  the 
world  of  fashion  and  society.  The  number  of  gray  heads 
in  the  assemblage  was  very  striking  to  an  onlooker  from 
the  upper  part  of  the  house.  With  few  exceptions,  the 
gentlemen  were  in  evening  dress,  and,  as  for  the  toilettes 
of  the  ladies,  only  a  person  versed  in  the  mysteries  of 
feminine  apparel  is  competent  to  describe  the  marvels  in 
design  and  material  displayed  on  this  occasion.  The 
term  brilliant  is  really-  inadequate  to  express  the  appear- 
ance of  this  great  gathering  in  honor  of  the  comedian. 
Every  seat  was  filled,  and  every  spot  commanding  a 
view  of  any  portion  of  the  stage  was  occupied,  there  being 
more  than  seventeen  hundred  persons  in  the  house.  The 
play  was  Sheridan's  "  School  for  Scandal."  The  cast  will 
be  found  on  the  second  page.  Of  the  performance  of  this 
play  it  is  as  needless  to  speak  as  it  is  of  that  of  the  after- 
noon. The  entire  company  appeared  in  it,  and  all  the 
principal  members,  notably  Mr.  Barron,  Miss  Clarke, 
Mrs.  Vincent  and  Mr.  Wilson,  were  welcomed  with  ex- 
ceeding cordiality  as  they  made  their  entrances  upon  the 
scene.  All  seemed  inspired  by  the  occasion,  and  the  play 
has  never  been  given  here  better.  Mr.  Warren  was 
greeted  with  an  enthusiam  that  was  little  short  of  frenzy. 
Round  after  round  of  applause  shook  the  very  walls,  dying 
awav  only  to  be  renewed  again  and  again  with  greater 
vigor.  It  was  many  minutes  before  the  recipient  of  this 
grand  ovation  was  permitted  to  speak,  and,  when  at  last 
he  uttered  his  opening  lines,  the  tremor  of  his  voice, 
showed  how  deeply  he  was  aftected  by  the  reception. 
Every  line  he  spoke  fell  upon  appreciative  ears,  every 
h'ttle  detail  of  the  stage  business,  of  which  he  is  so  perfect 


42 


Fiftieth  Anniversary. 


a  master,  was  watched  with  eager  and  admiring  attention. 
Not  a  point  in  the  performance  was  missed,  and  not  one 
was  made  that  did  not  receive  the  instant  recognition  of 
applause  or  laughter. 

Mr.  Warren's  "  Sir  Peter  Teazle,"  though  not  more  re- 
markable than  many  another  of  his  efforts  in  displaying 
the  height  and  variety  of  his  powers,  has  such  a  wonder- 
ful roundness,  such  faultless  proportion,  and  such  exquis- 
ite finish  that  we  are  not  disposed  to  question  or  regret 
the  general  verdict  which  proclaims  it  to  be  his  master- 
piece. Mr.  Warren's  figure  as  he  first  enters  upon 
the  scene  with  deliberate  step,  the  anxious  cast  of  his 
strong,  expressive  face,  the  care-betokening  bend  of  his 
head,  and  the  incomparable  suit  of  pale  green  and  gold, 
together  make  a  picture  which  most  of  us  have  neither 
the  wish  nor  the  power  to  efface  from  our  memories.  And 
as  that  picture  rises  before  us,  we  hear  again  the  quiet  yet 
intense  delivery  of  the  opening  lines,  whose  mode  of 
utterance  sets  the  key-note  of  the  whole  performance  : 
"  When  an  old  bachelor  marries  a  young  wife,  what  is  he 
to  expect  ? " 

At  the  close  of  the  "  screen-scene,"  the  demand  for  Mr. 

Warren's  return  to  the  stage,  which  had  up  to  this  time 

been  ineffective,  became  too  imperative  to  be  resisted,  and 

he  came  forward  to  receive  a  greeting  as   hearty  as  that 

which  met  him  on   his  first  entry.      Coming  forward,  a 

great  wreath  of  laurel  and   oak  leaves   in  gold,  tied  with 

broad  white  satin  ribbon,  the  gift  of  Mile.  Rhea,  was  pre" 

sented  to  him,   beai-ing  the  following  inscription   in  gilt 

• 

letters  :  — 


"William    Warren — Homage   d'admiration,   de   respect    et  d'amour; 
souvenir  du  28  Octobre,  1882.  Rhea. 


Fiftieth  Anniversary. 


4: 


There  were  also  a  bed  of  exquisite  flowers  and  a  floral 
horseshoe  from  Mr.  Franklin  S.  Pratt,  with  the  inscrip- 
tion :  — 

"  Here's  good  luck.     From  your  friend  and  neighbor." 

Amid  renewed  plaudits  he  gracefully  acknowledged  the 
compliment,  and  then  addressed  the  audience  as  ibllows  : 

Ladies  and  Gentleme)i,  —Perhaps  on  such  an  occasion 
as  this  I  may  be  permitted  to  come  nearer  to  you  and  ad- 
dress you  as  patrons  and  friends.    It  may  be  a  questionable 
matter  whether  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  year  of  any 
man's  life  should  be  a  matter  of   congratulation   rather 
than  perhaps  one  of  sympathy  or  condolence.     [Laughter 
and  applause.]     You  seem,  however,  most  emphatically 
to  rank  it  with  the  former,  and  certainly  I  have  no  cause 
to  class  it  with  the  latter.     To  have  lived   in   this  city  of 
Boston  happily  for  more  than   five-and-thirty  years,  en- 
gaged in  so  good  and  successful  a  theatre  as   this,   and 
cheered  always  by  your  favor,  and  then  to  have  that  resi- 
dence crowned  by  such  an  assemblage  as  I  see  before  me, 
is  glory  enough  for  one  poor  player.     [Applause.]     My 
humble  eflbrts  have  never  gained  for  me  any  of  the  great 
prizes  of  my  profession  until  now,  but  failing  to  reach  the 
summit  of  "Parnassus,  it  is    something  to   have   found  so 
snug  a  nook  in  the  mountain-side.      [Applause.]     I  came 
here  to  thank  you,  and   I  do  thank  you   from   the   very 
bottom  of  my  heart.     I  have  some  grateful  acknowledg- 
ments to  make  to  others, — to  the  gentlemen  of  the  com- 
mittee of  arrangements  as  well  as  to  those  who  presented 
the  painting  by  the  artist;  to  the  gentlemen  of  tiie  press; 
to  the  manager  of  this  theatre,  and  the  ladies  and  gentle- 
men engaged  in  it.     Also,  I  should  name  several  distin- 
guished volunteers  —  Mr.  Barnabee,  who  was  the  first  to 
offer  his   services,   Edwin   Booth,   Lester  \\'allack,  John 
McCullough,  Lawrence  Barrett,  and  last,  but  not  least, 
Miss  Mary  Anderson  and  Mrs.  John  Drew.     And  now, 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  wish  that  all  present  within  the 
sound  of  my  voice  may  by  some  event  in  life  be  made  as 
hapjiy  as  you  have  made  me  to-day  by  tiiis  e\ent  in  mine. 
[Pvofongcd  applause.] 


44 


Fiftietli  Anniversary. 


"  AULD    LANG    SYNE." 

As  Mr.  Wan-en  concluded,  a  chorus  of  fifty  ladies  and 
gentlemen  who  had  volunteered  their  services,  and  were 
stationed  behind  the  scenes  unknown  to  him,  began  sing- 
ing'•  Auld  Lang  Syne,"  and  the  touching  strains  of  the 
song  brought  tears  to  not  a  few  eyes,  as  the  slowly  de- 
scending curtain  hid  the  grand  old  actor  from  the  view  of 
the  audience.  But  the  resumption  of  the  play  quickly 
dispelled  all  sad  and  serious  thoughts,  and  the  theatre  was 
soon  ringing  again  with  laughter  and  applause.  The  per- 
formance was  of  sustained  excellence  to  the  end,  and  the 
audience  waited  to  once  more  pay  their  respects  to  the 
man  in  whose  honor  they  had  assembled. 

The  testimonial  was  a  grand  success  in  every  depart- 
ment, and  the  recipient  and  the  committee  are  to  be  con- 
gratulated upon  it. 

A    "  LOVING-CUP." 

A  pleasant  surprise  to  Mr.  Warren  was  the  presenta- 
tion to  him,  at  his  residence.  No.  2  Bulfinch  Place,  of  a 
"  loving-cup,"  a  beautiful  work  of  art,  made  of  beaten 
silver  and  lined  with  gold,  and  bearing  the  following  in- 
scription : 

TO  WILLIAM  WARREN, 

On  the  Completion  of  his  Fiftieth  Year  on  the  Stage. 

October  27,  18S2. 

From    Joseph   Jefferson,    Edwin     Booth,    Mary    Anderson,   John 

MCCULLOUGH    AND   LaWRENCE    BaRRETT. 

The  committee  which  had  charge  of  the  gift  included 
Mr.  William  Winter  of  the  New  York  "Tribune,"  Mr. 
James  R.  Osgood,  Capt.  Nathan  Appleton,  Mr.  F.  P.  Vin- 


FiflietJi  Anniversary. 


45 


ton,  the  artist,  Manager  R.  M.  Field  and  Mr.  T.  R.  Sulli- 
van. The  presentation  speech  was  made  by  Mr.  Winter, 
the  bearer  of  the  cup,  who^was  even  move  felicitous  than 
his  usual  speeches  on  social  occasions, 
stance,  as  follows  : 


He   said,  in  sub- 


My  Dear  Mr.  Warreti, — It  is  our  desire  that  the  cere- 
monial for  which  we  now  ask  your  attention,  while  it  fore- 
sees all  the  earnestness  appropriate  to  a  manifestation  of 
affectionate  friendship,  shall  not  be  embarrassed  bv  even 
the  slightest  tinge  of  painful  formality.  For  this  reason 
•we  have  sought  you  in  your  home,  instead  of  accosting 
you  upon  the  stage,  amid  the  festivities  of  this  brilliant 
and  auspicious  day. 

Your  friends  in  Boston  (which  is  equivalent  to  saying 
Boston  itself)  have  had  a  golden  opportunity,  and  have 
improved  it  in  a  glorious  manner,  of  expressing  their  per- 
sonal good-will,  their  esteem  for  your  character,  their  ap- 
preciation of  our  achievements,  and  their  just  and  natural 
pride  In  your  renown.  It  is  no  common  triumph  to  have 
gained  such  a  reputation  as  yours  in  such  a  citv  as  Boston. 
But  the  fame  of  your  genius  and  the  knowledge  of  your 
deeds  and  virtues  are  not  confined  to  the  city  of  your  resi- 
dence. A  great  actor  belongs  to  the  nation  and  to  the 
age.  In  every  theatre  in  the  United  States,  and  at  thou- 
sands of  hearthstones,  alike  in  your  own  country  and  in 
the  lovely  motherland  beyond  the  sea  —  where  your  line 
was  so  honorably  and  famously  guarded — your  name,  to- 
night, has  been  spoken  with  tender  respect  and  unaffected 
homage. 

In  order  that  you  may  be  reminded  of  this,  and  may  be 
cheered,  not  alone  with  present  plaudits,  but  with  happy 
remembrance  of  the  absent  friends  who  are  thinking  of 
you  now,  I  have  been  commissioned  by  five  of  the  leading 
members  of  your  profession — Joseph  Jefferson,  Edwin 
Booth,  Mary  Anderson,  Lawn;nce  Barrett  and  John  McCul- 
lough  —  to  come  into  your  presence,  and  in  their  names, 
and  with  fervent  assurances  of  keen  affection  and  sympa- 
thy, to  beg  your  acceptance  of  this  loving-cup,  which  is 
their   gift.     It  is   less  i)right   than    their   friendship;    it   is 


46 


Fiftieth  Anniversary. 


less  permanent  than  their  sense  of  jour  worth  and  their 
esteem  for  your  virtues.  Accept  it,  sir,  witli  all  that  it 
denotes,  of  joj  in  the  triumph  of  the  actor,  and  of  pride 
in  the  gentle,  loving,  blameless  character  and  life  of  the 
man. 

The  roses  have  £ver  been  esteemed  the  pledges  and 
emblems  of  faithfm  care.  In  the  name  of  join-  absent 
friends,  in  the  name  of  the  thousands  whom  in  time  past 
you  have  delighted  and  cheered,  in  the  name  of  your  com- 
rades of  the  Boston  Museum,  with  whom  you  have  been 
so  long  and  so  pleasantly  associated,  and  finally,  in  the 
name  of  the  friends  now  clustered  around  you  in  affection 
and  gladness,  I  cast  these  roses  at  your  feet;  and  I  am 
bold  enough,  presuming  on  your  patience,  and  remem- 
bering the  many  years  through  which  we  have  been 
friends,  to  add  my  own  general  tribute  in  the  lines 
which  I  now  read  : 


STANZAS  IN  HONOR  OF  WILLIAM  WARREN. 


October  28,  1S82. 


Red  globes  of  autumn  strew  the  sod, 

The  bannered  woods  wear  crimson  shields, 
The  aster  and  the  golden-rod 
Deck  all  the  fields. 

No  clarion  blast,  at  morning  blown, 

Should  greet  the  way-worn  veteran  here. 
Nor  roll  of  drums  nor  trumpet-tone 
Assail  his  ear. 

No  jewelled  ensigns  now  should  smite, 

With  jarring  flash,  down  emerald  steeps, 
Where  sweetly  in  the  sunset  light 
The  valley  sleeps. 

No  bolder  ray  should  bathe  this  bower 

Than  when,  above  the  glimmering  stream, 
The  crescent  moon,  in  twilight's  hour, 
First  sheds  her  beam. 


Aihtitltfitb.    FuihGtt   C'w 


Jefferson  scattering  Batkins, 


IS  nil, 
•S,I  IA'I-:i\'  ^^l  '0(  )N." 


Fijlielh  Anniversary. 


47 


Xo  ruder  note  should  break  the  thrall, 

That  love,  and  peace,  and  honor  weave. 
Than  some  lone  wild-bird's  gentle  call 
At  summer  eve. 

But  here  should  float  the  voice  of  song  — 

Like  evening  wind  in  autumn  leaves, 
Sweet  with  the  balm  they  waft  along 
From  golden  sheaves. 

The  sacreil  Past  should  feel  its  spell. 

And  here  should  murmur,  soft  and  low, 
The  voices  that  he  loved  so  well. 
Long,  Long  ago. 

The  vanished  scenes  should  give  to  this 

The  cherished  forms  of  other  days, 
And  rosy  lips,  that  felt  his  kiss, 
Breathe  out  his  praise. 

The  comrades  of  his  young  renown 

Should  proudly  throng  around  him  now, 
When  falls  the  spotless  laurel-crown 
Upon  his  brow. 

Not  in  their  clamorous  shouts  who  make 

The  noonday  pomp  of  glory's  lord 
Does  the  true  soul  of  manhood  take 
Its  high  reward. 

But  when  from  all  the  glimmering  years 

Beneath  the  moonlight  of   the  past 
The  strong  and  tender  spirit  hears 
"  Well  done,"  at  last. 

When  love  looks  forth  from  heavenly  eyes 

And  heavenly  voices  make  acclaim, 
And  all  his  deeds  of  kindness  rise 
To  bless  his  name  ; 

When  all  that  has  been  sweetly  blends 

With  all  that  is,  and   both  revere 
The  life  so  lovely  in  its  ends, 
So  pure,  so  dcnr  ; 


48 


Fiftieth  Anniversary. 


Then  leaps  indeed  the  golden  flame 

Of  blissful  pride  to  rapture's  brim  — 
The  fire  that  sacramental  fame 
Has  lit  for  him  ? 

For  him  who,  lord  of  joy  and  woe, 

Through  half  a  century's  snow-white  years 
Has  gently  ruled,  in  humor's  glow. 
The  fount  of  tears. 

True,  simple,  earnest,  patient,  kind. 

Through  griefs  that  many  a  weaker  will 
Had  stricken  dead,  his  noble  mind 
Was  constant  still. 

Sweet,  tender,  playful,  thoughtful,  droll, 

His  gentle  genius  still  has  made 
Mirth's  perfect  sunshine  in  the  soul. 
And  Pity's  shade. 

With  amaranths  of  eternal  spring 

Be  all  his  life's  calm  evening  drest, 
While  summerwinds  around  him  sing 
The  songs  of  rest ! 

And  thou,  O  Memory,  strange  and  dread, 

That  stand'st  on  heaven's  ascending  slope, 
Lay  softly  on  his  reverent  head 
The  wreath  of  Hope ! 

So  softly,   when  the  port  he  wins, 

Toward  which  life's  happiest  breezes  blow, 
That  where  earth  ends  and  heaven  begins 
He  shall  not  know. 

William  Winter. 


Mr.  Warren  was  much  affected  by  this  tribute  from  his 
fellow-artists,  and  the  address  and  poem  of  its  gifted 
bearer.  He  responded,  with  emotion,  in  fitting  terms, 
and  appropriate  remarks  were  made  by  the  gentlemen  of 
the  committee. 


Fiftieth  Anniversary. 


49 


A    REMEMBRANCE    FROM    THE    BOSTOX. 

A  very  elegant  and  costly  silver  vase,  inscribed 

PRESENTED  TO 

WILLIAM  WARREN, 

By  the  Boston  Theatre  Company, 

Fiftieth  Anniversary, 

Oct.  28,  1882, 

was  another  surprise  which  awaited  the  actor  at  the  termi- 
nation of  the  performance.  This  gift  was  accompanied  by 
the  following  letter: 

Boston,  Oct.  28,  1882. 
Mr.  Williavi  Warren,  Boston  Museum, — Dear  Sir:  We,  the  under- 
signed, members  of  the  Boston  Theatre  Company,  desiring  to  show  our 
interest  in  the  celebration  of  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  your  appearance  on 
the  stage,  beg  you  will  accept  the  accompanying  as  a  slight  mark  of  our 
respect  and  esteem. 


Orlando  Tompkins, 
Eugene  Tompkins, 
L.  J.  McCarthy, 
Napier  Lothian, 
William  Redmund, 

D.  J.  Maguinnis, 
Frazer  Coulter, 

E.  A.  Eberle, 
J.  T.  Craven, 
S.  E.  Springer, 
E.  Y.  Backus, 
Charles  Kent, 


Ncble  H.  Hill, 
H.  A.M'Glenen, 
Napier  Lothian,  Jr., 
Mrs.  Thomas  Barry, 
Miss  Rachel  Noah, 
Miss  Louise  Malderne, 
Mrs.  E.  A.  Eberle, 
Miss  Grace  Thome, 
Miss  Ella  Mayer, 
Miss  Rosa  France, 
H.  E.  Chase, 
D.  J.  Sullivan, 


J.W.Taylor. 
CONGRATULATIONS. 

Mr.  Warren  has  received,  since  the  testimonial  was  an- 
nounced, letters  from  friends  in  and  out  of  the  profession, 
sufficient,  if  printed,  to  make  a  volume  almost  the  size  of 
Webster  Unaliridged.  With  a  delicacy  which  does  him 
honor,  he  holds  these  as  sacred  from  the  public,  conlidcn- 
tial  between  writer  and  receiver.   Yesterday  congratulatory 


50 


Fiftieth  Anniversary. 


telegrams  showered  upon  him  from  all  parts  of  the  country 
and  from  across  the  ocean.  Some  of  these,  being  of  a  less 
confidential  nature  than  the  letters,  he  has  permitted  to  be 
printed,  and  thev  are  appended  : 

New  York,  Oct.  28,  1882. 
To    William    JVafreu,  Boston   Museum,   Boston,    Mass. — My     loving 
congratulations.     May  you  live  long  and  prosper.  J.  Jefferson. 

Hull,  England,  Oct.  28,  1882. 
William    Warren,    Musemn,  Boston, — Cordial  congratulations.     Love 
and  best  wishes.  Edwin  Booth. 

Montreal,  Que.,  Oct.  27,  1S82. 
Willtain     Warren,  Mtiseuin,    Boston, — Your    fifty  years  of  honorable 
service  have  been  a  blessing  to  the  world  and  a  lasting  legacy  to  our  glorious 
art.     May  you  be  spared  in  health  for  many  more  years  of  service  and  the 
happiness  of  your  friends.  Lawrence  Barrett, 

.St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Oct.  28,  1882. 
William    Warren,  Museum,    Boston, — Greetings    from   John     McCuI- 
lough,  his  manager  and  entire  company  ;  and  no   man   here  but  honors  you' 
and  every  one  "  doth  wish  you  had   but  that  opinion  of  yourself  that  every 
noble  Roman  bears  of  you."  John  McCullough. 

New  York,  Oct.  28,  1882. 
William  Warren,  Museum,  Boston,— \  wish   you  much  success  today, 
and  many  years  of  happiness  in  the  future.  Harry  Edwards. 

New  York,  Oct.  28,  1882. 
William    Warren,   Museum,   Boston, — Accept  my  sincere  congratula- 
tions.    May  you  be  spared  for  many  years  to  honor  a  profession  that  honors 
you.  John  T.  Raymond. 

London,  Oct.  28,  1882. 
William  Warren,  Museum,  iJcii/o;/,— Congratulations. 

John  S.  Clarke. 

Baltimore,  Md.,  Oct.  28,  1882. 
William   Warren,  Museum,  Boston, — Sincerest  congratulations  on   the 
semi-centennial  anniversary  of  your  honored  histrionic  life.     May  good  di- 
gestion wait  on   appetite  and  health  on  both  for  many  years  to  come.     Ever 
truly, your  old  friend,  Joseph  Proctor. 

London,  Oct.  28,  1882. 
William   Warren,  Museum,  Boston,— Loving  regards.     Best  wishes  for 
long  life  and  happiness.  John  L.  Toole. 


Fiftieth  Anniversary. 


51 


Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  28,  1882. 
William  Warren,  Mitseum,  Boston,— Y^tgremng  the  enforced  absence 
which  prevents  my  presence  in  front  today  to  assist  in  the  honors  which  await 
you,  I  tender  my  heartiest  congratulations  and   best  wishes  for  continued 
health,  happiness  and  prosperity.  H.  C.  Barnabee. 

CiNXINNATI,  O.,  Oct.  27,  1882. 
William    Warren,  Museum,   Boston, — Congratulations   upon  your  at- 
taining   the    well-rounded     golden    period.     From     your     quarter-century 
friend.  William  Henry  Davis. 

Jackson,  Mich.,  Oct.  27,  18S2. 
William  Warren,  Museum,  Boston,— A.ccc^X  heartiest  congratulations- 
Would  like  to  participate  on  this  occasion.  Ada  Gilman. 

St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Oct.  27,  1882. 
William  Warren,  Museum,  Boston,— 'Love  and  congratulations   to  art 
and  artist  on  the  anniversarj'  of  their  golden  wedding. 

Augusta  A.  Foster. 

New  York,  Oct.  28,  1882. 
William   Warren,  Mitseum,  Boston, — Congratulations  and   best  wishes 
for  very  many  happy  years  in  the  future.  Maurice  Strafford. 


A    LAST    WORD. 

In  our  final  word  we  trust  that  we  shall  not  go  bevond 
permitted  limits;  but  the  word  must  be  said.  As  the 
great  audience  breathlessly  listened  to  Mr.  Warren's  even- 
ing address,  it  was  plain  to  see  that  they  found  in  the 
gracious  refinement  of  his  manner,  and  in  the  simple  sin- 
cerity of  his  tone  and  words,  much  more  than  the  skill  of 
the  pla^-er.  The  judgment  of  that  moment  is  indeed  the 
enduring  conviction  of  our  citizens.  In  and  through  and 
above  the  artist,  they  recognize  the  true,  the  gentle,  the 
honorable  man.  And,  much  as  they  esteem  his  high 
professional  skill,  even  more  do  they  cherish  his  absolute 
modesty,  his  unstinted,  self-sacrificing  kindness,  his 
superiority  to  every  form  of  meanness  and  envy.  Such 
art  and  such  a  life  should  always  go  together,  sustaining. 


5^ 


Fiftieth  Anniversary. 


inspiring,  perfecting  each  other.  In  his  period  of  maturity 
Mr.  Warren  is  reaping  the  harvest  of  what  he  has  wisely 
sown  and  faithfully  tilled.  But  that  period  is  itself  the 
time  for  the  ripening  of  the  later  and  sweeter  fruit.  For 
his  own  sake,  and  for  the  sake  of  us  all  may  it  prove  to 
be  so  with  him. 

"  For  age  is  opportunity,  no  less 
Than  youth  itself,  though  in  another  dress, 
And  as  the  evening  twilight  fades  away, 
The  sky  is  filled  with  stars,  invisible  by  day." 


WILLIAM     WARREN. 
(Died  Sept.  21st,  1888.) 


If  aught  of  Genius  ever  dies. 

If  aught  that  God  hath  given 
To  minister  to  mortal  eyes. 

Reflections  caught  from  heaven. 

Then  might  the  heart  its  selfish  plaint 

Pour  forth  in  mournful  lay. 
And  jealous  grief  its  Idol  paint 

As  more  than  mortal  clay. 

But  prescient  faith,  with  undimmed  eyes 

When  earthly  ties  are  riven, 
Behold  a  new  star  in  the  skies, 

A  new  Saint  shrined  in  heaven. 

Oh  thou,  the  latest  peerless  gem 
Plucked  from  the  brow  of  day 

To  garnish  history's  diadem. 
With  pure  and  quenchless  ray. 

Shall  tears  be  shed  for  such  as  thou ; 

The  long,  triumphant  years. 
That  twined  their  laurels  round  thy  brow  ; 

Have  left  no  cause  for  tears. 

Thy  lustrous  Star,  with  light  sublime, 

In  heaven  will  shine  serene  ; 
Thy  laurels  for  all  coming  time 

Will  bloom  forever  green. 


Geo.  H.  Young- 


Life  and  Revihiiscences. 


53 


William  Warren  Dead. 


BOSTON'S  VETERAN   COMEDIAN 
PASSES  QUIETLY  AWAY. 


A  Long  and  Brilliant  Record  Closed  Forever. 


Rambling  Reminiscences  of  an  Interesting 

Career. 

William  Warren,  the  eminent  comedian,  died  at  his 
home,  2  Bulfinch  Place,  very  peacefully.  He  was  uncon- 
scious to  the  last,  as  he  has  heen  for  many  days.  His 
death  was  a  painless  one,  and  he  was  surrounded  by  his 
relatives  and  friends  when  the  final  summons  came.  At 
the  bedside  of  the  dying  actor  were  his  sister,  Mrs.  J.  B. 
Rice,  his  nieces,  Mrs.  George  L.  Dunlap,  Mrs.  Orson 
Smith,  Miss  Marble  and  Miss  Fisher,  at  whose  house  Mr. 
Warren  had  resided  for  many  years.  His  death,  says  Mrs. 
Dunlap,  was  very  peaceful.  He  passed  awa^'  as  if  falling 
into  a  calm  and  restful  sleep.  He  was  not  conscious  of 
their  presence.  For  several  days  he  had  not  recognized 
any  one,  and  for  a  week  his  final  sleep  was  looked  for  at 
most  any  liour. 


54 


Williatn    Warren. 


Dr.  William  Ingalls  of  No.  558  Tremont  Street,  was  the 
attendant  physician,  and  when  asked  regarding  the  cause 
of  Mr.  Warren's  death,  said:  "  Mr.  Warren  has  ended  his 
life  from  disease  of  the  brain."  Yok  the  past  six  days  he 
has  been  very  nearly  in  the  same  condition  night  and  day. 
He  has  had  the  best  and  kindest  care  in  every  particular. 
His  life  has  been  prolonged  during  that  time  by  assidu- 
ously giving  him  proper  nourishment.  The  house  was  kept 
quiet,  and  it  was  the  desire  that  there  should  be  an  atmos- 
phere of  hopefulness  and  peace.  Had  there  been  the 
turmoil  of  a  constant  round  of  callers,  as  has  been  the  case 
with  many  prominent  men.  his  death  would,  without 
doubt,  have  occurred  ten  days  sooner.  To  make  a  definite 
statement  of  the  disease,  Dr.  Ingalls  said  he  could  not  do. 
Old  age  was  in  part  an  unlavorable  element. 

By  the  the  death  of  William  Warren  the  dramatic 
profession  not  only  loses  one  of  its  most  honored  and 
most  distinguished  men  —  a  man  whose  creditable  career 
has  added  many  a  glorious  page  to  the  record  of  the 
stage  in  this  country  —  but  Boston  has  lost  a  beloved 
adopted  son  for  whom  she  may  well  mourn  ;  an  honora- 
ble citizen  and  a  true  artist,  who  for  35  years  contributed 
no  small  share  to  the  maintenance  of  her  supremacy  in 
the  world  of  dramatic  art.  Judged  by  the  verj'  highest 
canons  of  dramatic  criticism,  Mr.  Warren  was  a  great 
actor.  Estimated  by  those  standards  which  man  ap- 
plies to  man,  his  worth  was  great,  indeed.  As  an  artist, 
he  was  true  to  all  that  is  best,  purest  and  noblest  in  his 
art,  respected  for  his  loftiness  and  purity  of  purpose, 
admired  for  his  preeminent  ability;  as  a  man,  he  was  just 
and  honorable  in  his  dealings  with  his  fellow  man,  broad 
in  his  sympathies,  magnificent  in  his  generosity,  hon- 
ored for   his  simplicity  and    sincerity,  esteemed    for   the 


Life  and  Reviinisce?ices. 


55 


truth  and  nobility  of  his  character,  and  loved  for  the 
sweetness,  gentleness  and  beauty  of  his  sunny  nature. 
'•  Take  him  for  all  in  all,  he  was  a  man." 
His  earthly  eareer  is  ended  :  his  record  of  achievement 
is  closed,  but  his  name  is  graven  deeply  in  the  hearts  of 
grateful  thousands,  who  will  cherish  his  memory  and 
recall  him  with  feelings  of  gratitude  and  pleasure.  It  is 
difficult  to  estimate  the  value  of  such  a  man  to  his  gen- 
eration. It  was  his  happy  mission  to  add  to  the  pleasure 
of  his  fellow  inen,  and  who  can  calculate  the  worth  of  him 
who  smooths  the  wrinkled  brow  and  wreathes  with 
smiles  the  careworn  features  of  overtaxed  and  suffering 
humanity.'  If  it  be  true  that  the  man  who  creates  a 
laugh  is  a  public  benefactor,  how  great  is  Boston's  debt 
to  William  Warren  }  Apart  from  the  pleasure  he  gave  to 
thousands  of  theatre-goers,  his  influence  on  the  dramatic 
art  of  his  day  was  incalculably  great.  Honored  and  re- 
spected by  the  j'ounger  members  of  his  profession,  he 
was  to  them  an  inspiration  and  a  guide,  and,  as  a  promi- 
nent dramatic  critic  once  remarked,  to  his  constant  pres- 
ence, more  than  to  any  other  cause,  may  be  attributed 
the  exceptionally  active  interest  which  all  grades  of 
society  in  Boston,  especially  the  more  intellectual  classes, 
have  for  a  long  time  taken  in  dramatic  art.  The  follow- 
ing estimate  of  Mr.  Warren  as  an  actor,  made  by  Mr. 
Henry  A.  Clapp  of  this  city,  in  an  exhaustive  article 
published  in  1882,  is  so  just  and  accurate,  and  will  com- 
mend it>elf  so  well  to  every  admirer  of  the  great  come- 
dian, that  it  may  well  be  given  a  place  here. 

MR.    warren's    STVLIC 

as  a  dramatic  artist  is  so  broad  and   full    as  to  be  exceed- 
ingly hard  to  describe.      I)e\-oid  of  eccentricities  and  ex- 


56 


William  Warrev. 


travajjances  it  lacks,  like  a  perfectly  propoi'tioned  build- 
ing those  salient  peculiarities  Avhich  at  once  catch  even 
the  unobservant  eye.  A  deformed  cripple  can  be  much 
more  easily  depicted  than  an  Apollo.  To  his  professional 
■work  he  has  brought  the  true  plastic  temperament  of  the 
actor,  a  rich  native  sense  of  humor,  the  power  of  keen 
and  delicate  observation,  an  absolute  sense  of  propor- 
tion, a  strong  educated  intelligence,  varied  culture,  and 
tihat  devoted  love  for  his  art  which  has  made  unresting 
industrv  mere  delight.  The  flower  of  all  these  gifts  and 
virtues  is  a  style  of  acting  which  unites  exceptional  vivid- 
ness, force,  sensibility  and  effectiveness  with  a  fine  reserve 
and  an  unfailing  observance  of  the  modesty  of  nature. 
An  exquisitely  exact  adaptation  of  means  to  ends,  sup- 
plemented by  precise  knowledge  of  the  need  of  every 
moment,  is  Mr.  Warren's  most  distinguishing  trait;  but 
there  is  nothing  mechanical  in  his  practices,  no  observa- 
ble interval  between  intent  and  result;  on  the  contrary, 
his  playing  shows  that  perfect  infusion  of  thought 
and  act  which  makes  analysis  of  his  art  impossible 
until  his  art  has  first  wrought  its  due  effect  upon  the 
feelings  of  the  spectator.  The  two  best  known  ac- 
tors who  best  illustrated  the  artistic  value  of  the  nobler 
form  of  intelligence,  were  Adelaide  Neilson  and  William 
Warren.  Each  of  them  stood  for  dramatic  knowledge 
and  training  as  against  dramatic  charlatanism  ;  and  the 
signal  success  of  each  is  proof  that  the  public  is  by  no 
means  without  the  better  power  of  discrimination. 

His  generous  culture,  besides  fulfilling  the  great  func- 
tions of  refining  and  enlarging  his  style,  made  his  play- 
ing a  positive  source  of  pleasure  by  its  perfection  of  de- 
tail. His  enunciation  of  English  was  most  clean  and 
pure,     his    pronunciation    elegantly    correct,     while     his 


Life  and  Roniniscences. 


57 


French  Avas  thoroughly  agreeable  to  Paris-trained  ears  as 
■well  as  to  those  brought  up  "in  the  school  of  Stratford- 
atte-Bowe."  Next  to  the  fine  precision  and  justness 
which  characterize  Mr.  Warren's  style,  the  versatility  of 
his  power  denotes  his  distinction  as  an  artist.  His  range 
as  a  comedian  is.  as  we  said  above,  simply  unequalled. 
and  to  the  interpretation  of  every  variety  of  character  he 
brings  that  exquisite  sensibility  and  clearness  of  insight, 
that  mobility  of  nature  and  fulness  of  understanding 
which  make  his  work  vital,  natural  and  satisfying.  For 
pathos  his  gift  is  scarcely  less  remarkable  than  for  humor, 
the  touch  showing  at  times  perhaps  not  his  greatest 
facility,  but  the  method  being  alwavs  imaginative  and 
the  feeling  pure  and  genuine.  Nor  is  it  upon  the  deep 
and  broad  lines  only  that  Mr.  Warren  excels.  In  the  art 
of  swift  and  sublime  insinuation,  in  the  display  of  mixed 
or  conflicting  emotions,  he  has  no  rival  upon  our  stage. 

One  of  the  greatest,  if  not  the  greatest,  artists  in  the  line 
of  make-up  we  ever  had  on  our  Boston  stage  was  unquest- 
ionably William  Warren.  In  this,  as  in  matter  of  costume, 
he  was  well-nigh  perfect.  Of  the  many  parts  he  played 
in  this  city — something  like  500 — no  two  were  made  up 
alike.  Each  was  a  distinct  and  separate  creation  of  his 
own.  It  would  seem  almost  impossible  that  so  much 
variety  could  be  given  to  the  human  countenance. 

"  But  by  the  mighty  actor  brought, 
Illusions  perfect  triumphs  come," 

and  in  his  illusions  Mr.  Warren  was  indeed  "the  mighty 
actor." 

With  only  the  possible  exception  of  Joseph  Jefferson, 
William  Warren  was  the  foremost  comedian  of  the  age 
in  which  he  lived. 


58 


William  Warren. 


On  Saturday  afternoon  and  evening,  Oct.  28,  1SS2,  Mr. 
Warren  observed  the  50th  anniversary  of  his  adoption  of 
tlie  stage.  The  occasion  was  a  double-benefit  entertain- 
ment. All  Boston  assembled  to  greet  and  honor  the 
veteran  comedian.  At  both  entertainments  the  theatre 
was  crowded.  "  Seldom,  if  ever,  has  a  company  more 
thoroughly  representative  of  Boston's  best  society  been 
gathered  at  a  thetitrical  performance.  It  included  men  of 
all  professions,  not  excluding  the  clergy,  prominent  re- 
presentatives of  the  business  community  and  handsomely 
dressed  women,  most  of  the  habitues  of  the  theatre  and 
many  who  are  rarely  seen  there,  while  the  large  propor- 
tion of  gray-headed  men  was  very  noticeable  to  any  one 
occupying  a  sightly  position  in  the  balcony.  With  few 
exceptions  the  gentlemen  were  in  evening  dress,  and  thus 
the  showy  toilettes  of  the  ladies  were  given  their  appro- 
priate back-ground  of  sombre  elegance." 

This  testimony  was  the  signal  for  Mr.  Warren's  retire- 
ment from  the  stage.  By  half  a  century  of  honest  work 
he  had  won  an  honorable  retirement,  and  at  the  close  of 
the  season  he  permanently  withdrew  from  public  life. 
His  last  appearance  on  any  stage  was  at  the  Boston 
Museum,  on  Saturday  night.  May  12,  1883,  as  Old  Eccles 
in  "  Caste."  There  was  no  formal  leave-taking,  no 
speeches,  no  flourish  of  any  sort :  not  even  an  announce- 
ment that  this  was  a  farewell,  and  it  may  not  have 
been  intended  as  such.  But,  though  a  silent  one,  it 
proved  to  be  a  real  one,  and  the  public  that  had  so  long 
known,  respected  and  even  loved  him  saw  him  not  again 
in  his  accustomed  place. 

His  days  since  that  time  have  been  passed  in  cjuiet  and 
peaceful  enjoyment,  with  the  respect  of  all  and  with  the 
warm  regard  of  many. 


Life  and  Remitiiscences. 


59 


Mr.  Warren's  steadfast  adherence  to  the  comparatively 
uneventful  life  of  a  stock  actor  in  Boston,  with  its  moder- 
ate rewards,  in  respect  both  of  fortune  and  of  renown,  is 
often  mentioned  as  an  interesting  indication  of  the  pecu- 
liar reserve  and  modesty  of  his  nature.  But  its  value  to 
this  citj  has  not  so  often  been  the  subject  of  comment. 
Our  debt  is,  nevertheless,  ver^^  great.  To  a  man  of  his 
temperament,  the  conditions  have  been  favorable,  for  in 
this  quiet  corner,  under  the  warm  sun  of  steady  popular 
and  critical  favor,  his  powers  developed  freely,  equally 
and  naturally,  suffering  neither  the  violent  chills  nor  the 
furious  fervors  during  professional  life  and  uncramped  by 
the  narrow  money-catching  theories  which  belittle  the 
orbits  of  most  of  our  stars.  The  result  of  this  was  that, 
in  Mr.  Warren,  we  had  constantly  before  our  eyes  a  true 
and  thorough  artist,  approaching  ever  nearer  and  nearer 
to  ideal  perfection.  Aside  from  the  pleasure  which  he 
thus  directly  ministered,  he  unconsciously  educated  an 
unconscious  public  in  dramatic  judgment,  while  the  artist 
and  his  methods  were  the  instruction,  criterion  and  in- 
spiration of  the  men  and  women  of  his  own  profession. 
The  worth  of  such  a  player  to  the  dramatic  taste  of  a  city 
is  incalculable,  and  to  Mr.  Warren's  constant  presence, 
more  than  to  any  other  cause,  is  to  be  attributed  the 
exceptionally  active  interest  which  all  grades  of  society 
in  Boston,  and  especially  the  more  intellectual  classes, 
have  taken  in  the  dramatic  art. 

A  just  and  high  appreciation  of  Mr.  Warren  has  never 
been  limited  to  Boston.  The  connoisseurs  —  the  real 
"  knowers  "  of  acting  —  in  every  city  of  the  United  States, 
and  the  better-informed  of  our  English  visitors,  have 
often  made  pilgrimages  to  Boston  to  do  our  comedian 
honor  and  themselves  delight. 


6o 


William  Warren. 


FUNERAL  OF  WILLIAM  WARREN. 


THE    SOLEMN    SERVICE    IN    TRINITY    CHURCH. 


A  Great  Floral  Display. 


A    DISTINGUISHED    ATTENDANCE. 


Trinity  Cliurch  presented  a  striking  funeral  aspect  to- 
day, at  noon,  the  occasion  being  the  observance  of  the 
last  rites  of  the  church  over  the  remains  of  William 
Warren,  the  distinguished  comedian.  For  hours  before 
the  opening  of  the  doors,  the  arrangement  of  the  numer- 
ous floral  tributes  that  came  pouring  in  from  professional 
and  society  friends  was  in  quiet  progress,  nearly  every 
artist  in  the  city  having  part  in  making  the  beautiful  ob- 
jects in  their  charge.  At  1 1. 15  the  great  vestibule  portals 
were  swung  open,  and  the  seats  not  assigned  to  mourners 
were  quickly  occupied,  principally  by  ladies  of  middle  and 
advanced  age.  When  the  service  began,  hundreds  were 
standing  in  the  aisles  and  galleries.  The  scene,  apart 
from  its  solemnity  was  an  exceedingly  attractive  one,  all 
the  wealth  of  public  and  private  conservatories  being  lav- 
ished on  the  display.  The  whole  altar  front  contained  a 
numerous  array  of  flowers  in  ever^'  conceivable  design 
appropriate  to  a  public  funeral.  Prominent  among  the 
offerings  were  those   of  the    Boston    Museum  Company  — 


Life  and  Reminiscetices. 


6i 


A  sheaf  of  ripe  wheat,  four  feet  in  height,  standing  upon 
a  broad  base  composed  of  English  ivy  leaves  and  long 
steamers  of  passion  vine;  H.  M.  Pitt,  stage  manager,  a 
wreath  of  ripe  wheat,  tied  with  a  bow  of  white  and  laven- 
der ribbon,  and  resting  upon  a  pillow  of  ivy  leaves  and 
passion  vine;  Mrs.  H.  M.  Pitt  (Fannie  Addison) — A 
handsome  laurel  wreath,  two  feet  in  diameter,  having  a 
bow  and  long  streamers  of  lavender  ribbon;  George  Wil- 
son, the  comedian  —  A  watchman's  staff  and  crook  of 
colored  pampas  grass,  and,  suspended  from  the  crook,  an 
old-fashioned  lantern  of  red  and  white  carnations,  an  ap- 
propriate tribute  to  the  inimitable '•  Dogberry ;"  manager 
R.  M.  Field  —  An  ivy  wreath;  little  Elsie  Leslie  and  Mas- 
ter 'I'ommy  Russell  each  a  mound  of  pampas  plumes, 
lillies  and  asters. 

Conspicuous  also  was  a  tribute  from  Henry  Irving  —  a 
large  base  of  English  ivy.  exotic  foliage  and  passion- 
vine  streamers,  bearing  a  book  in  Mabel  Morrison  and  Cor- 
nelia Cook  roses,  white  orchids,  lillies  of  the  valley  and 
ferns,  and  across  the  face,  in  purple  violets,  the  word 
"  Shakspeare."  From  beneath  the  cover  fell  a  book-mark 
of  lavender  rilibon,  bearing  the  inscription,  "  A  well- 
graced  actor." 

Other  offerings  were  those  of  W.  J.  Florence.  Stand- 
ing wreath  of  English  ivy,  five  feet  in  height,  resting 
on  a  base  of  passion  vines,  Jacqueminot  and  Cornelia 
Cook  roses;  one  side  a  bunch  of  Nyphetos  roses,  tied  with 
a  bow  of  Lavender  satin  ribbon;  Edward  Harrigan  —  A 
tablet  of  Englisii  ivy.  bearing  an  open  book  of  white 
carnations,  with  the  word  "  Finis  "  in  violets,  a  bunch  of 
different  colored  r<jses,  tied  with  lavender  ribbon,  and  upon 
a  card  is  inscribed,  "  From  a  brother  actor";  N.  C.  Good- 
win, ]r.  — A  large  pillow  of  a  variety  of  exotic  plants,  and 


62 


IVUliam  IFarren. 


upon  it  a  book  of  Njphetos  roses  and  orchids,  with  the 
following  inscription  in  violets:  "This  was  the  noblest 
Roman  of  them  all,"  at  one  corner  of  the  book  a  bunch  of 
American  Beauties,  tied  with  lavender  satin  ribbon. 

The  design  ordered  by  J.  H.  McVicker  of  Chicago  was 
in  the  form  of  a  broken  wreath  of  English  ivy,  passion 
flowers  and  lillies  of  the  valley,  cut  in  twain  by  a  sickle 
composed  of  American  Beauty  roses  ;  the  base  was  a  mass 
of  ripe  wheat  and  orchids;  and  that  of  Henderson  & 
Meade  of  the  Chicago  Opera  House  was  a  large  pillow  of 
foliage,  across  which  rested  a  broken  column  composed  of 
roses,  white  violets,  orchids  and  lilies  of  the  valley. 

Among  the  private  tributes  were  a  wreath  of  laurel 
with  two  sheaves  of  wheat,  from  Mr.  John  Gilbert;  a 
wreath  of  laurel  with  wheat,  bound  in  purple  ribbon,  from 
Annie  M.  Clarke;  a  sheaf  of  wheat  and  a  buckle  of  tube 
roses  and  pinks,  from  Edwin  and  Agnes  Arden;  a  cross  of 
roses,  from  Mr.  Warren's  sister,  Mrs.  J.  B.  Rice  of  Chi- 
cago;  a  wreath  of  autuinn  leaves,  from  Mrs.  Fred  W. 
Paine  of  Boston,  and  Mrs.  Dunlap  Hopkins  of  New  York, 
nieces  of  Mr.  Warren;  a  bouquet  of  wild  flowers,  from 
Hon.  and  Mrs.  Leopold  Morse;  a  fine  arrangement  of 
white  roses,  fern  leaves  and  maidenhair,  from  Annie  Pix- 
ley;  a  long  palm,  tied  with  roses  and  satin  ribbon  in  white, 
from  Mrs.  S.  L.  Clark;  a  shenf  of  wheat,  "To  my  dear 
old  friend  for  many  years,"  from  Flora  Mason;  Cornelia 
Cook  roses  bound  in  satin,  from  Sol  Smith  Russell;  a 
cross  of  roses  from  Mrs.  Thomas  Barry;  and  a  large 
anchor  af  ivy  and  wheat,  from  Mr.  John  Stetson. 

There  were  no  services  at  the  house,  but  the  relatives 
and  a  few  other  mourners  who  had  assembled  at  Miss 
Fisher's  house  arrived  at  the  church  at  noon.  After  a 
moment's  delay  in  the    vestibule,  Rev.  Dr.  Phillips  Brooks 


/'/lO/o  hy  Ciiiilii. 


Alberiijpe:  Forbe*  Co. 


HEK'K'       VVKIOKL, 


-I.N- 


"MY    SON." 


Life  and  Reminiscences. 


walked  up  the  aisle,  reading  the  customary  selection  from 
the  Episcopal  service.  Immediately  behind  the  cothn  were 
the  following-named  pall-bearers:  Col.  Henry  Lee,  John 
Gilbert,  C.  W.  Couldock,  Charles  Barron.  C.  Leslie  Allen, 
Nathan  Appleton,  ex-^Layor  Samuel  A.  Green,  Eugene 
Tompkins,    Hon.    B.    P.    Cheney,   and  Joseph    Proctor. 

The  principal  mourners  who  followed  the  pall-bearers 
up  the  aisle  were  Mrs.  J.  B,  Rice  of  Chicago,  Mr.  Warren's 
sister,  who  led  the  procession  on  the  arm  of  her  son-in-law, 
Mr.  George  L.  Dunlap  of  the  same  citj-;  Mrs.  George  L. 
Dunlap.  Mrs.  Dunlap  Hopkins.  Mrs.  Orson  Smith,  Miss 
Emma  Marble,  all  nieces  of  Mi.  Warren;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Joseph  Jefferson,  with  their  sons,  Charles  and  Joseph. 
There  were  a  few  other  relatives  and  Mrs.  Trevill. 

The  service  was  the  simple  Episcopal  burial  service; 
the  musical  selections  consisted  of  an  organ  voluntar}-, 
and  the  singing  by  the  church  quartet  of  the  burial  chant, 
and  the  hymns  "•  Abide  with  me"  and  "  Come,  Ye  Dis- 
consolate," the  selection  last  named  being  sung  as  the 
body  was  carried  down  the  aisle  at  the  close  of  the  service. 
After  the  immediate  mourners  had  left  the  church,  a  large 
number  of  those  present  went  up  to  the  altar  to  see  the 
floral  tributes,  and  the  steps  and  sidewalk  in  front  of  the 
church  were  crowded  with  those  who  desired  to  see  the 
noted  people  present,  a  large  number  also  gathering  at 
the  side  door  to  see  the  flowers  brought  out. 

In  the  vast  congregation  were  the  following  named : 
Judge  ('harles  Devens  of  the  Supreme  Judicial  Court, 
Chief  Justice  Brighain  of  the  .Supreme  Court,  Dr.  Oliver 
Wendell  Holmes,  Hon.  Leopold  Morse,  Thomas  Mack, 
Hon.  John  I"'.  .Andrew,  Wyzeman  Marshall.  Mayor  O'Brien, 
R.  M.  P'ield,  Miss  Annie  M.  Clarke,  Mrs.  Lawrence  Barrett, 
Dr.  Henry  G.Clark,  Howard  M.  Tick  nor,  Robert  B.  Brigham. 


64 


William  Warren. 


Hiram  Sluirtleff,  Eugene  Tompkins,  Win.  II.  Emerj, 
Col.  Henry  G.  Parker,  Benjamin  E.  Woolf,  Chas.  A.  Garey, 
Prof.  J.  W.  Churchill,   Major  Charles  W.  Stevens,  Thomas 

B.  Winchester,  John  W.  Ryan,  Captain  John  C.  Wyman, 
W.  T.  W.  Ball,  Nat.  Jones,  Jas.  H.  Mead,  Frank  J.  Carney, 
Henry  E.  Dixey,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Isherwood,  Q^iincy 
Kilby,  E.  N.  Catlin,  John  J.  McNally,  John  B.  Mason, 
John  F.  Morris,  E.  L.  Davenport,  D.  J.  Maguinness,  B.  F. 
Tryon,  Miss  Kate  Ryan,  Miss  Agnes  Ethel  Daly,  Miss  Susie 
Mason,  Miss  Lizzie  Murphy,  James  Nolan,  T.  L.  Coleman, 
Geo.  M.  Hyde,  J.  R.  Weeks,   N.  Fairclough,  P.  J.  Guerin, 

C.  S.  Abbe,  Herbert  Pattee,  J.  R.  Pitman,  John  Witherell, 
Nehemiah  Leighton,  Louis  Bohner,  Wm.  P.  Prescott, 
Joseph  Sullivan,  Frank  Goodwin  and  J.  Frank  Hilliker. 
Mr.  H.  A.  M'Glenen  was  chief  usher  and  was  assisted  by 
Wm.  A.  Blossom,  John  T.  Barrington  and  Ernest  Gregg 
of  the  Museum,  Stage  Manager  L.  J.  McCarthy  and  Napier 
Lothian  of  the  Boston  Theatre,  and  B.  P.  Cheney,  Jr. 

At  the  close  of  the  service  the  remains  were  taken 
to  Mt.  Auburn  Cemetery  for  burial.  There  was  no  service 
at  the  grave,  and  only  the  relatives  and  chief  mourners 
followed  the  remains  to  the  cemeterv. 


AT  WARREN'S  FUNERAL. 

As  from  the  portal  of  the  church 
They  carried  him  we  loved  so  well, 

A  gentle  breeze  the  leaves  bestirred, 
One  parted  — at  my  feet  it  fell. 

I  pickeil  it  up  —  the  beauteous  thing 
Which  grew  to  ornament  his  bier, 

I'll  keep  thee  always  as  a  gem 
Whose  meaning  is  a  lesson  clear. 

In  my  small  sphere  to  try  to  act 
As  well  as  our  great  friend  now  gone, 

Whose  memory  will  always  cheer, 
As  davs  and  davs  lead  on  and  on. 


E. 


Life  and  Reminiscences. 


65 


TRIBUTES  TO  WILLIAM  WARREN. 


"   THE    NEW    YORK    IIERALD's  "    TRIBUTE. 


Mr.  William  Warren  has  left  none  but  pleasant  memo- 
ries behind  him.  Neither  a  blazing  comet  nor  a  fixed 
star  of  the  first  magnitude,  he  nevertheless  gave  more 
genuine  pleasure  to  larger  audiences  than  most  actors  of 
his  day  or  of  any  day.  Warren  was  both  a  student  and 
a  gentleman.  Genial  to  the  verv  edge  of  conviviality,  he 
never  crossed  the  line  beyond  which  conviviality  becomes 
dissipation.  A  fine  conversationalist,  with  an  inex- 
haustible fund  of  anecdote  and  reminiscence,  a  loyal 
lover  of  the  best  authors  in  many  departments  of  litera- 
ture, beside  that  in  which  he  made  himself  famous,  he 
won  the  respect  of  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  enjoyed 
the  willing  admiration  of  the  community  at  large.  In 
his  earlier  days  he  had  heavy  responsibilities.  The  death 
of  his  father,  who  lost  a  very  considerable  fortune,  threw 
upon  him  the  support  of  his  family.  With  a  leaning 
toward  a  commercial  life,  he  was  driven  by  his  exigency 
to  seek  some  remunerative  employment  at  once,  and 
chose  the  footlights,  where  he  achieved  immediate  suc- 
cess. With  a  traveling  troupe  he  wandered  through  the 
West,  —  then  in  the  thirties  —  rough,  rugged  as  a  fron- 
tiersman's life.  He  acted  in  barns,  school  houses,  sheds, 
anywhere  and  everywhere,  but  always  with  sincerity 
of  purpose.  Not  ambitious,  but  dilfident  and  retiring, 
he  cared  less  for  the  brilliancy  of  a  starring  tour  than 
for  the  comforts  and  leisure  of  a  permanent  home. 
Boston  took  liini  to  her   heart  40  years  ago,  gave  him  all 


66 


William  Warren. 


he  asked  for,  fame  and  a  generous  income,  and  there  he 
has  lived  and  there  he  died.  William  Warren  believed  in 
his  profession,  in  its  value  and  dignity  as  a  factor  of  our 
social  life.  lie  Avas  as  honest  as  he  was  comical.  Larger 
praise  is  impossible,  as  the  uproarious  merriment  of  his 
audiences  fully  attests.  He  never  apologized  for  being 
an  actor,  but  proved  that  the  art  to  which  he  devoted  his 
life  was  consistent  with  the  virtues  we  are  called  upon  to 
practise.  Both  as  man  and  comedian  he  will  be  long 
remembered,  and  not  many  can  fill  the  place  he  has  left 
vacant. 

MR.    WILLIAM    WIXTER'S    TRIBUTE 

on  the  occasion  of  the  testimonial  to  John  Gilbert,  on 
the  50th  anniversary  of  his  first  appearance  on  the  stage, 
may  be  applied  with  equal  fitness  in  speaking  of  the 
quality  of  Mr.  W^arren's  art:  "  ITpon  the  motives  and 
principles  which  have  governed  his  long,  prosperous, 
exemplary  and  blameless  career,  and  upon  the  many  as- 
pects of  contemplation  which  it  suggests,  there  is  room 
for  much  reflection.  The  long  annals  of  the  British 
stage  are  at  once  opened  the  moment  we  begin  to  review 
his  great  achievements,  to  analyze  his  art  and  to  consider 
his  professional  rank.  Qiiin,  Dowton,  Munden,  Liston, 
Reeves,  Fan-en,  Burton,  Blake,  Hackett,  Burke  and  Ba>s 
are  some  of  the  renowned  names  which  at  once  start  up 
in  imagination  or  remembrance  as  the  ancestry  or 
brotherhood  of  this  remarkable  man.  Upon  John  Gil- 
bert and  William  Warren  —  names  worthy  to  be  written 
side  by  side  in  the  book  of  fame,  and  names  that  alwaj-s 
stir  a  pulse  of  gladness  in  the  heart  —  rests  the  weight  of 
all  the  fine  learning,  rich  humor,  quaint  character  and 
exquisite  grace,  which  by  these  old  masters  were  garnered 


Life  and  Reminiscences. 


67 


up  in  the  finesf  moulds  of  method  and  tradition  that  are 
possessed  by  the  stage.  When  these  two  actors  shall 
have  passed  away,  we  know  not  where  —  in  their  pecu- 
liar line  —  a  successor  to  them  may  be  found;  we  '  know 
not  where  is  that  promethean  heat  which  can  their  light 
relume.' " 

MR.    GEORGE    W.    WILSON's    TRIBUTE. 

Mr.  Warren  was  a  man  who  was  a  great  example  to  all 
those  about  him,  because  he  was  so  conscientious  in  the 
performance  of  his  duty.  No  matter  what  the  time  was 
for  rehearsal,  he  was  always  on  hand.  Circumstances  that 
might  have  led  even  younger  people  to  shirk  their  obliga- 
tions in  that  regard,  had  no  such  influence  upon  him,  and 
you  would  constantly  find  him  setting  the  good  example 
of  being  always  on  hand  and  always  to  be  depended  on. 
He  was  an  extremely  generous-hearted  man.  I  have  al- 
ways entertained  for  him  the  highest  feelings  of  reverence 
and  respect,  not  only  as  an  artist,  but  as  a  thorough  gen- 
tleman. Coming  in  and  playing  a  line  of  parts  under- 
neath him,  and  sometimes  playing  parts  that  he  had  played, 
he  would,  instead  of  giving  you  the  cold  shoulder,  always 
give  good  advice  :  and  if  you  did  anything  well  he  was 
always  the  first  to  speak  of  it.  He  commended  me  a  great 
deal,  I  know,  and  often  went  out  of  his  way  to  show  his 
pleasure,  for  he  was  so  thoroughly  wrapped  up  in  his  art 
that  it  was  as  much  gratification  to  him  to  see  others  per- 
fect themselves  as  to  do  so  himself. 

I  was  associated  with  him  about  ten  years.  In  almost 
any  business  or  profession  jealousies  are  liable  to  arise. 
This  is  no  truer  of  the  dramatic  profession  tiian  of  any 
other  which  brings  a  person  before  the  public,  and  where 
the  commendation  of  the  pubh'c  is   desired.     Mr.  Warren 


68 


Willia7n  Warren. 


did  not  know  the  meaning  of  the  word  jealousy.  He  was 
very  companionable,  excellent  company  and  a  magnificent 
story-teller.  In  his  story-telling  he  would  say  :  "You  pos- 
sibly have  heard  that  old  story,"  and  then  he  would  go  on 
and  tell  it;  but  it  was  invariably  new  to  his  listeners.  You 
never  could  mention  a  subject  but  what  he  could  always 
give  an  appropriate  quotation,  and  follow  it  up  with  an 
anecdote  or  story.  He  was  perfectly  wonderful  in  that 
regard.  Mr.  Warren  always  seemed  a  little  sensitive 
about  playing  young  parts  as  he  grew  a  little  older,  and 
was  only  too  glad  to  have  some  one  else  play  them. 
Sometimes  he  would  go  out  of  his  way  to  give  you  a 
chance  in  a  part  that  he  wished  to  discard,  thus  show- 
ing that  his  chief  desire  was  to  perfect  everybody  and 
elevate  the  profession  as  much  as  he  could.  This  is  em- 
phasized by  the  fact  that  his  greatest  delight  after  leaving 
the  theatre  in  his  last  days  was  to  visit  other  theatres  and 
witness  other  performances. 

He  was  an  excellent  French,  Latin  and  Greek  scholar, 
and  if  you  spoke  to  him  about  certain  words  or  phrases 
he  would  never  say  positively  "  I  am  sure  it  is  so  and  so," 
but  he  would  always  reply,  "I  think  it  is  so  and  so"  ;  but 
he  was  always  correct.  He  was  a  splendid  listener,  and  a 
most  appreciative  one;  there  was  no  hypocrisy  about  him. 

He  was  a  magnificent  speaker,  and  the  speech  that  he 
made  at  his  benefit  was  most  excellent.  Up  to  the  close 
of  his  career  upon  the  stage  he  showed  no  e\  idence  of 
declining  power.  "In  giving  advice,  Mr.  Warren  would 
not  say  right  out.  "You  had  better  do  so  and  so,'  but  he 
would  say  it  in  his  modest  way,  '  Don't  you  think  so  and 
so  would  be  better.'  But  the  one  to  whom  the  advice  was 
given  wouldn't  have  to  think  ;  he  would  know  Mr.  Warren's 
way  was  better,  simply  by  his  saying  so  interrogatively." 


Life  and  Reviinisceiices. 


69 


THE    BOSTON     TRANSCRIPTS        TRIBUTE. 


"  He  is  worthy  to  be  one  of  us,"  was  the  remark  re- 
ported to  be  made  by  Rachel  after  an  evening  passed  at 
the  Boston  Museum.  It  was  William  Warren  of  whom 
the  great  tragedienne  spoke.  What  the  play  was  cannot 
now  be  recalled.  This  was  a  high  compliment,  for  in  the 
mind  of  a  socictaire  of  the  Comedie  Fran(;aise  there  can 
be  no  step  for  the  actor  to  take  higher  than  that  which 
brings  him  on  a  plane  wiih  the  dwellers  in  the  house  of 
Moliere.  Ofttimes,  through  the  long  and  honorable 
career  of  William  Warren  at  the  Boston  Museum,  the 
thought  came  to  the  observant  spectator  that  possibly  we 
had  had  so  much  of  Mr.  Warren  that  we  had  lost  the 
capacity  fully  to  appreciate  his  exquisite  art.  It  needed 
an  occasional  comparison  of  his  masterly  Sir  Peter 
Teazle,  or  even  of  another  Peter  whose  surname  is  Pilli- 
coddy,  with  the  bogus  comedy  work  or  athletic  farce  char- 
acters of  the  plays  which  have,  pushed  Sheridan  and 
Madison  Morton  from  the  stage  —  there  was  required 
some  such  comparison  to  discover  how  the  comedian's 
art  was  dying  out,  how  buftbonery  was  taking  the  place 
of  wit,  and  obstreperous,  senseless  horse  play  that  of 
clever  humor.  If,  then,  the  taste  of  the  public  demanded 
the  coarser  and  lower  stuff,  he  who  had  so  long  and  so 
conscientiously  served  us  with  refined,  elegant,  artistic 
work  left  the  footlights  none  too  soon,  though  that  leav- 
ing made  a  void  that  could  hardly  be  filled. 

The  American  stage  has  lost  within  a  very  few 
years  several  exponents  of  what  we  call  the  old  school  of 
acting — but  which,  with  all  its  conventionalities,  was 
nearer  the  school  of  nature  than  is  the  run  of  acting 
now  —  and  William  Warren's  death    draws  the  circle  still 


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